There's Somebot for Everybot
by xXRetrobotXx
Summary: Prowl is having a bad solar cycle when he recieves a signal from a crash site 4 million years old. Better yet, it turns out to be a long lost friend. Rated to be safe. Eventual Prowl/OC.
1. Somebody That I Used to Know

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, only my OC. The song for this chapter is Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye. I'll explain it at the end. :)**

**Klik= Cybertronian time equal to 1.2 Earth minutes**

**Breem= Cybertronian minute (8.3 Earth minutes)**

**Solar Cycle= Cybertronian time when sun makes its round across the sky**

**Quartex= Cybertronian time equal to an Earth month**

**Orbital Cycle= Cybertronian year**

**.:Blah.:. = Comm. Link**

_Blah._ **= Thoughts**

* * *

Prowl, SIC of the Autobots, was having a bad solar cycle.

The Twin Terrors had put off another prank, resulting in them in the brig and more paperwork for him to do. An unexpected load of data pads had come in for him to look over. And on top of it all, a faint signal was coming from one of Cybertron's moons, meaning a ship had crashed on it.

**.:Who authorized permission for a ship to fly past the first moon in the past quartex?:.** Prowl snapped over the open comm. link. A breem later, Optimus Prime replied.

**.:No one, as far as I'm aware, Prowl. In fact...:. **Optimus trailed off, and Prowl could tell that Prime was accessing a data pad to look up the needed info. **.:No bot has had permission to fly past the first moon all orbital cycle, Autobot-Wise.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:Thanks, Prime. Prowl out.:. -Prowl**

Turning off the link, Prowl looked for data as to who was letting off the distress signal. He knew it wouldn't be a decepticon ship, because they wouldn't have sent the distress signal to an Autobot base. And it wasn't an incoming ship. Prowl had checked those courses first thing.

_This is why no one is allowed past the first moon unauthorized,_ Prowl thought grimly. _The gravitational field pulls you in and no bot knows it._ The only other option for a recent crash was a ship who wouldn't have logged where they were going. This was ruled out, seeing as the Cybertron Elite guard would fire on any ship who hadn't, in case it was a decepticon ship.

So that left the possibility that the ship had crashed over an orbital cycle ago. Prowl went back to Teletraan I and tapped on the signal. Waves of data rolled across the screen. The codes of the signal were not up to regulation. The codes also looked like they had been made before the war had started, as they lacked an Autobot, decepticon, or even neutral status in the programming.

_Why has this signal not come up before? _Prowl wondered. He backed out of the signal's coding and went to a map of the first moon. A blinking red dot with a line of Cybertronian glyphs next to it indicated where the ship had crashed. It was right over a section that was always snowy. The first moon was the only one of the two moons and Cybertron to have an atmosphere that sustained weather. Therefore, it was the only one that could have snow, which Prowl knew, could mask signals very well.

_That means it could very well be a crash from before the war._

Keeping logs of your course and location had started right after the war, so that would further explain the crash.

**.:Prowl to Prime.:.** Prowl said, opening up a private comm. link.

**.:Prime here.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:The signal from the crash on the first moon was being blocked by the snow. But I have reason to believe that the crash pre-dates the war's first days.:. -Prowl**

Optimus was silent for a moment, then replied **.:Explain.:. -Optimus Prime**

Rather than repeating his findings, Prowl sent him a data burst, and he could tell Prime was studying them.

A breem later, Optimus spoke again. **.:Come to the Meeting Room. I'm calling a conference to possibly send a rescue team.:.** **-Optimus Prime**

Optimus withdrew without waiting for a reply. Prowl looked at the data pads on his desk, knowing he spent too much time on the signal and he was behind. But orders were orders, and he dragged himself to the Meeting Room.

Sitting around the table was Optimus, Jazz, Ironhide, Perceptor, and Kup. Ultra Magnus arrived after Prowl took his seat.

"What is this about, Prime?" asked Ultra Magnus, rather annoyed. Anybot could tell he'd been working on other matters before he had come.

Optimus glanced at Prowl before he started talking. "Earlier this solar cycle, a signal was detected from the first moon. After going over this signal several times, Prowl and I have reason to believe that this crash happened before the war ever started." Silence reigned for an astro-second before everybot started talking, trying to be heard over everybot else.

"What? Why had we not heard of this before?"

"Is it a friendly?"

"Are we gonna send a rescue squad?"

"SILENCE!" Optimus finally roared, making everybot present mute their mouthplates and turn their optics on him. "Thank you. Yes, seeing as how this ship left before the war, they are lacking a faction in this fight, and we will rescue them before the decepticons can."

"Those slagging 'cons probably can't wait to get their greasy servos on another bot," Ironhide muttered, earning several agreeing nods from the other bots around the table.

"Who's gonna go on the rescue mission?" asked Jazz.

"That depends on how soon we can deport a ship," Optimus replied. "Perceptor, get the Elite guard on Teletraan One and get permission to send a ship." Said red bot nodded and left the room. "Now we need volunteers for the rescue team."

"I'll go," Jazz said, stepping forward immediately. "The great Jazz-man c'n handle a bit 'a snow."

Prowl shook his helm in exasperation. Somebot needed to keep an optic on Jazz, or he'd screw up the whole mission. "I will go as well," Prowl added. After all, he'd found the signal, hadn't he?

Optimus nodded. "I will have Ironhide and Jolt accompany you two. Meet me at the docking bay in five breems." With that, the leader mech turned and strode out the door. Ultra Magnus and Kup also departed, presumably for the Command Center. Prowl followed them out the door, and he could hear Ironhide and Jazz behind him. He turned left as Magnus and Kup went right.

**.:Jolt, this is Prowl. You're needed in the docking bay. Bring your medical kit.:. -Prowl**

**.:Acknowledged. Who is injured?:. -Jolt**

**.:No one, yet. We are going to the first moon and may require medical assistance.:. -Prowl.**

**.:Ah. I'll be there momentarily.:. -Jolt**

**.:Good. Prowl out.:. -Prowl**

Severing the link, Prowl continued leading the way to the docking bay. When the three mechs arrived, no bot else was there yet.

"So who do ya think is on tha' ship?" Jazz inquired, trying to break the silence.

"I don't know, but I hope it's not the 'cons trying to trick us," Prowl replied grimly, always the tactician.

Ironhide fired up his cannons. "Well if it is them, we'll be ready."

Jazz grinned at the black mech's statement and pulled his gun out of subspace. "Ya bet yar undercarriage we'll be ready." Prowl rolled his optics.

A breem later, Jolt arrived, holding four cubes of energon and his medical kit. Seeing Prowl's raised optic ridge, he explained, "Cold weather makes us burn through energon quicker than normal."

Prowl accepted his cube and quickly downed it, knowing Prime would be arriving any second. As if Primus had read the SIC's processor, Optimus rounded the corner at that moment.

"Good, everybot is here," he stated, seeing the four mechs. "The ship is ready for departure. All you have to do is contact us via open comm. link when you are ready to return. And the Elite Guard wants to have anybot brought back, offline or not," he ordered.

Prowl nodded, knowing Optimus had placed him in command of the mission.

"Until all are one," Optimus said, using the Autobot saying.

"Until all are one," the other four responded unanimously. Then Prowl lead the way on board the ship they would be traveling in. It was pretty much an escape pod, but they were very reliable and well armored, so they were used for short-range flying. The one they were using was standard size and could hold five mid-size bots comfortably.

Prowl sat down in the Captain's seat, his doorwings scraping uncomfortably against the back until he spread them apart. "Status," he requested, glancing at the various monitors in front of him.

Ironhide, who had also taken a seat, replied, "Fuel tanks are full."

"Engines in optimal condition," Jolt added, scanning another screen.

"Launch pad is clear," Jazz piped up from by the window.

Prowl nodded, never taking his optics off the monitors. He fired up the two engines. "Launch sequence activated." The noise of the engines overtook them then. Flipping a switch, Prowl noted that the fuel could now reach the engines. He took a hold of the controls system and made the pod take off. The pod quickly gained altitude to clear the buildings that were in front of them.

Iacon quickly became a speck in their rear camera as they left the city behind. The engine noise never faltered or become quieter as Prowl fed the ship more fuel in order to escape Cybertron's gravitational pull. A klik later, the pod was outside of Cybertron's atmosphere and the fuel needed to keep going was drastically decreased. The engine noise was also reduced with the fuel burning.

"That was a cleaner liftoff than last time," Jolt commented.

Jazz snorted. "That's cuz we don't have the twins with us. Thank Primus fo' that." Ironhide chuckled, but didn't say anything.

Two kliks went by and the first moon got closer to the small pod. Then they got to the point where they could see the small mountains and snowy landscape in some detail. One of the largest mountains on the first moon, named Suntier*, had most of its snow blown off one side. Suntier was _always _covered in snow. _Something must have disturbed it,_ Prowl remarked. But what most caught everybot's optic was a small black and purple ship, slightly smaller than the one they were in, half-buried in the side of Suntier.

"Is that the ship we're lookin' for?" asked Ironhide, looking out the front window at it.

"It has ta be," Jazz remarked. "Tha' ship was buried under the snow fo' a while. No wonde' the signa' was dampened."

Their pod got close enough to the first moon that the fuel had to be put through again to slow down the ship enough that they wouldn't crash. Gravity overtook the pod and thwarted the engine's intentions. Their decent rapidly increased. Prowl sent the engines into reverse, slowing them slightly.

"Full reverse," he ordered calmly. Jolt tapped on the monitor he was by and the engine's whine increased in volume. The pod slowed long enough for Prowl to navigate them safely onto the ground at the base of Suntier. Upon touching the ground, the engine noise dwindled down and died. Prowl got to his pedes and shuffled toward the door, everybot else hot on his heels.

The door hissed and eased itself to the ground, allowing them out. The Autobot SIC lead the way up the uneven side of Suntier, pulling a gun out of subspace just in case.

Suntier was not very tall compared to some of the structures on Cybertron, but it was steep enough to have the group cycling air harder than they normally did. The others had followed Prowl's lead and pulled out weapons, or in Ironhide's case, onlined his cannons. Prowl paused at the ships door, which had been blown off its hinges. Shrapnel and fragments of metal lie everywhere. The black-and-white tactician had to stop and push the mangled door and a few loose wires away to get inside. He cautiously aimed his gun ahead of him at all the shadows as he proceeded to take a few paces inside.

Whatever cargo the pod had been carrying was spread all over the ship. Crates had fallen and dried energon stained the floor in places.

"There's no bot here," Ironhide announced, having checked the small nooks and crannies that could hide a small-size bot. Prowl scanned the area of the small ship, seeking any signatures. Not finding anybot, he stowed his gun away. Jolt stepped over a few jumbled objects and ran his servo over the mangled computers. Prowl watched him flip the power switch. The systems onlined weakly, showing error messages. He was genuinely surprised that it still functioned, but he didn't show it.

"I've never seen error messages like this before," Jolt muttered, not taking his optics off the screen. Ironhide stomped over to him, studying the monitor intently. Prowl took a moment to study the ship's interior. Faded navy blue walls were on either side of the entrance. He found out they blocked off a small berth room and storage room when he quickly checked them out.

***FLASHBACK***

A young Prowl stood by his best femme-friend as they took in the sight before their optics. Her creators had gotten her her very own mini-pod, It was a deep purple with black on the outside. He watched as she never took her optics off the gift as she exclaimed, "Thank you Danni and Opi! It's the best present ever!" Prowl grinned, sharing her excitement.

"Go on, check out the inside," her Opi urged. She didn't have to be told twice. She raced inside, Prowl hot on her pedes. Inside was a navy blue, matching her armor, which was navy and silver. There was a berth room, a storage room, and a control room. Everything was in pristine condition and high tech for the time.

"This is great!" she squealed.

"You _have_ to take me for a test drive!" Prowl almost yelled, excited. "Congrats for getting your adult frame!"

She turned to him, her optics shining. "Thanks! I'm only a few days younger than you, Prowl. It's too bad you didn't get a mini-pod, though. They're, like, _the_ hottest thing right now."

***END FLASHBACK***

Prowl staggered, the memory hitting him without warning. Jolt looked at him, concerned, but Prowl waved him off. He shook his helm, trying to clear his processor. That memory had been from before the war, back when he'd just received his adult frame. Wondering what had caused the flashback, the SIC looked around. Then it hit him; this ship looked _exactly_ like the one his friend had gotten. He quickly marched outside and glanced at the identification number on the ship's side. _PI-234-9S._

Returning to the memory, Prowl realized that the number on his friend's ship had been the same. _PI-234-9S._ His spark sunk as he figured out that this meant his friend had obviously crashed when she had fled Cybertron before the war had started.

_So Silvermoon has been here for four million orbital cycles?_

* * *

*Suntier (Sun-tie-er) Tier: _A row or level of a structure, typically one of a series of rows placed one above the other. _**I named it this 'cause in the story it lookes like it has tiers and the snow reflects the sunlight very well and stays lit up for long periods of time.**

**Author's Note: I have no idea how many moons Cybertron has, or if they have names, so I just made that part up. But I think I read somewhere that there's two moons, so I don't know.**

**The song for this chapter is Sombody That I Used To Know because it says things like "But you didn't have to cut me off". Prowl thought she had, when she was really in stasis lock. Just get rid of the romance part and you have the perfect song for this chapter.**


	2. Wake Me Up Inside

**I'm back! Thanks to all the viewers of the last chapter! I didn't know this idea would be so popular. Anywho, thanks to **Bee4ever**,** Jazz's lil ninja**, ****and **Le-19** for favoriting and/or following the story! **

**The song for this chapter is Wake Me Up Inside by Evanscence and Linkin Park. It fits best at the end.**

Bee4ever**: Thanks!**

**Orn= Cybertronian time equivalent to an Earth week. (not officially, just what I'm saying it is.)**

**Nano-klik= Cybertronian time equal to an Earth second.**

* * *

_So Silvermoon has been here for four million orbital cycles?_

Prowl started at the identification number on the ship, hardly daring to believe it. She had gone missing barely an orn before the war had started, and no bot, not even her creators, had known where she'd gone. They'd been sparkbroken, and had cornered Prowl, asking if he'd known anything. He'd been shocked as well.

_Well it looks like I've found her ship. Too bad her creators are not online anymore. Now if I could just find Silvermoon..._ Prowl's thought trailed off. It struck him that she wasn't in the ship, but she had to be close by, unless the decepticons really had taken her. He hoped not. _Maybe she left the ship._

Prowl turned his gaze to the ground wondering idly if footprints would've been preserved in the snow. He was standing on the dirt, but a few feet away, a thin layer of snow lay cover the moon's surface. He wandered over to it and scanned it. No footprints remained in the frozen water, if there had ever been any there. However, his scanners did pick up something small. He bent down and dug around in the snow for a second, uncovering a small piece of frozen energon that was starting to melt.

_That has to be her energon._ The tactician turned his scanners a few feet in front of him, sweeping them in a wide arc to find other traces of any buried energon. It picked up another small bit a little ways away. Prowl dug again to find it. He started to scan ahead of him again, but realized he was at the edge of the snowbank that rose three times his height.

"Prowler? Whatcha doin'?" asked Jazz from behind him, pulling the SIC from his thoughts. He turned to face the TIC and ignored the use of his hated nickname for once. He held out his servo, displaying the energon he'd found.

"This is the energon of the bot from the ship. There is more ahead, and it leads to the bot, but we'll have to dig," Prowl explained, not bringing himself to say Silvermoon's name aloud. He watched as Jazz leaned in to study the small energon pieces. Then he turned back to the crashed ship.

"Oi! Jolt! Get ou' here!" Jazz yelled, catching the attention of both Ironhide and Jolt, who were still inside the ship. Ironhide lead the way out, reaching them first. Both of his cannons were online and prepped to fire. Behind him, Jolt had his whips out and ready.

"What? Decepticon attack?" asked Ironhide quickly, pulling himself to a halt.

"No, ya trigger-happy mech," Jazz snorted. Ironhide frowned as he offlined his cannons again. "Look wha' Prowler found, Jolt." Jolt stowed away his energon whips and strode forward. He studied them for a nano-klik before plucking one out of Prowl's open servo. He frowned and scanned it.

"This... this energon is four million orbital cycles old," he summarized, sounding disbelieving. Jazz and Ironhide looked at him, not believing it either, but Prowl kept his expression blank, already knowing that piece of information.

"The pieces were in line with each other, seemingly like a trail," Prowl spoke up, catching their attention. "So the bot should be over here." He gestured in the general direction of where the trail had been leading into the snow bank.

"We'll have ta tunnel in," Jazz said. "Ironhide, yo the biggest, ya shoul' go first." Ironhide looked at him with a raised optic ridge, but pushed passed Prowl and shoved his way into the snow bank. Amazingly, the rest of the snow held, just leaving the outline of bulky Ironhide in a tunnel form.

"This is freezing," he complained, somewhat muffled.

"That's because it's _frozen_," Prowl replied, raising an optic ridge and sounding slightly amused. Once Ironhide had barreled his way in several feet, Prowl followed, encased in white in every direction. He resumed scanning the ground.

Twenty feet and four more pieces of frozen energon later, Prowl's scanner was indicating that the trail turned. Ironhide, who wasn't scanning, was unaware of this and kept going forward.

"Ironhide, the trail turns here," Prowl said, causing the black mech to stop. He turned, changing the shape of the tunnel where he was. He came back to Prowl. The weapons specialist made to move and start another tunnel, but Prowl help up a servo, stopping him. He started at his scanner, not believing what it was saying. Quickly, the SIC scooped out some snow from the wall, reveling a lot bigger piece of frozen energon. It was about the size of Optimus' servo. "We are getting closer," the tactician said quietly. The energon was handed to Jazz and then Jolt, who subspaced the piece. He'd been put in charge of carrying it all.

Before Prowl let Ironhide clear another tunnel, the black and white mech cleared out a little more to see if there was another piece of energon. He did find something, it just wasn't energon. It was a navy blue pede. He gasped, alerting the other bots to his find.

"Did you find the bot?" asked Jolt, thinking he already knew the answer.

"Affirmative," replied Prowl, to busy digging snow out of the way to turn around. Ironhide, who was in the line of fire of the snow Prowl was furiously flinging everywhere, grimaced as the white powder hit him. He gestured at the other two and they retreated a bit further down the tunnel, letting him escape the range of the cold powder.

As Prowl dug, his processor wracked through memories until he remembered the last time he had seen Silvermoon.

***FLASHBACK***

Prowl was walking through the halls of the Elite Guard Academy, searching for Cooper, who the commander wanted to see. His train of thought was cut short, however, when a certain navy and silver femme crashed into him, knocking them both over.

"Silvermoon?" Prowl asked, realizing who had crashed into him. Then he noticed how frightened she looked. "What's wrong?"

"I... It's nothing," she said, frantically scrambling back onto her pedes and throwing glances back over her shoulder. "I... have to go," she said quickly, taking off again, still checking for somebot following her. Prowl looked after the femme, confused. She seemed very flustered and frightened, which was odd for her. Normally she was outgoing and the one to comfort others.

Prowl thought about going after her, but was distracted when he saw he petite form sprinting towards her ship outside the window he was by. He watched the loading door snap back up and the engines start glowing orange as they were fired up. Then the ship shot off from the ground a lot faster than she normally went.

He became even more lost when the ship angled steeply upward, meaning that Silvermoon was going off-world.

***END FLASHBACK***

Prowl ceased his furious digging in the snow as the rest of Silvermoon's form was uncovered. She was laying on the ground, in a position that almost screamed she had fallen. Her thin armor had gaping holes with frozen energon sitting just outside of them. Her optics were offline, and for a moment Prowl feared that she was offline, but then he caught a very faint spark beat.

Gingerly, the tactician bent down and scooped her up, noticing she wouldn't bend, since her joints were frozen. He backed back out into the tunnel. The other bots gasped as they caught sight of her.

"Primus, it's a femme," Ironhide mumbled, stating the obvious. Jolt hurried forward a step, scanning her.

"She needs some serious repairs. Let's get her back to the ship," Jolt said, reading his report. Jazz, who was closest to the exit, turned and led the way out. Silvermoon's helm and pedes scrapped against the snowy walls as Prowl carried her out.

The SIC made sure that his faceplates held no emotion, but his spark was leaping inside of its cavity. After all those years he'd thought Silvermoon was on another planet or possibly offline, she'd been closer than he had realized. And now that she had been found, he didn't know whether she would make it or not.

_Don't think like that, _Prowl chastised himself. _She's a strong bot. She'll make it. _But a small part of his processor still doubted that.

He made sure to watch where he was putting his pedes on the steep-ish hike back down Suntier. He didn't want to trip and risk harming Silvermoon even further. Her armor was in a desperate need of a good waxing, but it still reflected the sunlight brightly. As the mech studied his long-lost friend, he was aware of his comrades glancing back over their shoulderplates periodically at the femme and their SIC.

Stepping carefully over a rather large rock, Prowl finally hit level ground. He readjusted his hold on Silvermoon and headed for the ship, the last one of the group. Stepping pede in the ship, he noticed Ironhide and Jazz were already at their stations. Jolt however, ushered him into the berth room. Prowl laid Silvermoon on one of the four berths. She wasn't laying flat, due to the fact that she was still partially frozen. Since being out of the snow bank, some of the ice on her had started to melt, proven by the water dripping off of her. And the energon that was slowly running from her wounds again.

"Go pilot the pod," Jolt instructed. "I'll see what I can do and get her to Ratchet when we land." Prowl nodded, not trusting himself to speak yet. He took his seat and nodded when the other two mechs read him the statistics of the engines and fuel levels. Jazz commed Optimus to get clearance back. A klik later they were in the air.

* * *

"Get her stabilized NOW!" barked Ratchet. Jolt hurried to hook up various tubes and cords to Silvermoon. Prowl watched nervously. They had arrived and barely a astro-second after they'd landed, her spark had started acting up. Prowl and Jolt had hurried to get her to the med bay and Ratchet had analyzed that she needed fresh energon running through her systems. But she had to be hooked up to life support to get the energon through her and get repairs done.

"Beeeeeeeeeep," the monitor next to her cried. Jolt frantically slammed the last tube up to her and the room went deathly silent. After what seemed like an eternity, a quiet "Beep" followed by more came on at a steady interval. Prowl vented heavily in relief. A similar noise came from Ratchet.

"Make sure she's got energon going through," Ratchet told Jolt. "I'm going to go find out who she is." He made to move off to his office, where he had data pads for these purposes.

"Her designation is Silvermoon," Prowl spoke up. Ratchet whirled around, narrowly missing some piece of equipment that had a medical purpose.

"How do you know that?" he asked, his optics narrowing slightly.

"She was my best friend. She went missing an orn before the war started."

The medical bot didn't say anything, just stared at his SIC with his mouthplates slightly agape. Prowl could almost read his thoughts. _Our impassive tactician had a friend?_He chose not to comment on what Ratchet was so obviously thinking and turned to Jolt.

"Comm. me if she starts to come back online," he ordered, then swept from the room, leaving silence in the med bay. He could even tell that the two medibots hadn't started talking when he reached the hall. He spared this no thought and quickly retreated to his office, where a bunch of data pads were waiting.

Back in the med bay, Jolt studied the femme Prowl had told them was Silvermoon. Next to him, Ratchet was intently looking her record on a data pad. Jolt morphed one servo into a welder and ran it over one of the cracks in her thin armor. He frowned.

"Ratchet, we're gonna have to get her thicker armor," he said, not looking away from his work. "This is the thin kind from before the war."

"Noted," Ratchet said, not bothering to look up, either. "Hmm, interesting."

"What?"

"According to her file, she was in the Elite Guard Academy, studying to be a medibot."

"So she could help us when she comes back online?" Jolt asked, pausing in his welding.

"Not really. She left halfway her training, apparently. But she also was a decent fighter and good at numbers," Ratchet read off the data pad.

"I guess she's an all-around bot, then," commented Jolt, resuming welding as he processed the new information.

"We might be able to use her help, though. Primus knows we need-" Ratchet cut off, and Jolt looked up to see Ratchets optics were dim, meaning he was on a comm. link with somebot. A moment later, his optics became bright again. "Right," he said, standing up. "I'm going to debrief Optimus and the Elite Guard of her condition. Comm. me if she changes." Jolt nodded and Ratchet hurried to find Optimus.

As the door shut, Jolt returned his attention to the femme. He finished welding the small cracks and fixed the gaping hole in her armor. Then he scanned her again, checking to see if anything internally was damaged. The results showed him that her spark was reaching out.

To who, he didn't know, but he did know that she was seeking help to come back online. And bots who had gone through a stasis lock for the length of time she had needed all the help they could get.


	3. Hero

**Wow, school is back once again and it's worse than ever! :( So I won't be able to update as often, but I got chapter 3 done just for you readers! The song for this chapter is Hero by Skillet. (Silvermoon is looking for a hero to come back online.) Thanks to **Gizzy2JJ**, **Shades-Soul, SolarFlare Prime, **and **YuYuFan1 **for adding this story to their favs and/or alerts!**

Bee4ever: **Thanks! (again!)**

Guest:** Yeah. He was gonna say "Primus knows we need all the help we can get." but I had to inturrupt him somewhere. :p**

* * *

Prowl caught himself staring for the third time that morning. He angrily shook his helm and wrenched his thoughts back down to the data pad he was supposed to be focusing on.

_But the energon deployment amounts to Iacon are so boring,_ the argumentative part of his processor whined.

_It's got to be done,_ he reasoned with himself. He flexed his fingers and hovered them over the pad. A nano-klik later, the sound of metal fingers against the screen echoed through the silent room. It only lasted a klik however. Prowl's fingers ceased moving as his optics became dim.

**.:Prowl, do you know of anybot who has a bond with Silvermoon? Like, maybe her creators?:. -Jolt**

**.:No, they offlined soon after the war started. Why?:. -Prowl**

**.:Her spark seems to be seeking a bond for help. She needs it to come back online fully.:. -Jolt**

**.:I will look around. Or I might be able to salvage our old friendship bond. Do you require my presence?:. -Prowl**

**.:You might as well. I don't have any other ideas.:. -Jolt**

Prowl's optics resumed their normal glow and he got back on his pedes. He glanced down at the data pad. The SIC knew he was getting nowhere, so he shrugged, switched it off, and left for the med bay he had been in the previous night, worrying over Silvermoon.

Out in the hall, Prowl heard a quiet shuffling of pedes at one intersection and paused, just out of sight.

"Do you think we'll make it?" he heard a quiet voice ask.

"Not if you don't shut your fragging mouthplates," another bot replied.

Another comm. made Prowl miss their next words.

**.:Slaggit. Prowl, I just got to the brig and the twins are missing. Didn't you tell them to stay here for a solar cycle?:. -Wheeljack**

Prowl suddenly smiled as he connected their disappearance and the two voices.

**.:Yes. But don't worry. I am onto them. They just don't know it yet.:. -Prowl**

He dropped the link, still listening for the two bots who thought they were sneaky. Making a decision, he steeped into the intersection, asking, "Where do you think you two are going?" Both the red and yellow mechs froze, startled at his sudden appearance.

"Slag," Sunstreaker cursed. Prowl smiled, almost evilly.

"You two had better-" He was interrupted by an urgent comm. from Jolt, telling him to hurry to the med bay. "Never mind, I'm needed elsewhere." He turned and all but ran to the med bay. The twins watched him go, wondering what had happened to make Prowl stop telling them off for the first time.

"What's with Prowl?" Sideswipe asked Sunstreaker. "Did you see his expression? I've never seen him that worried."

"He never has expression. Something must be really bad for him to not punish us," Sunstreaker concluded.

"Let's follow him," Sideswipe said with a wry grin.

The black and white mech hurriedly paced himself to not appear like he was in a rush. He'd learned early on that if the superiors seemed frightened or scared, the whole base would soon be in an uproar, even if everybot had no idea what was going on.

He reached the door to the med bay and paused, giving himself a quick check over. He vented deeply and placed a servo on the door, pushing it open.

Prowl strode over to the berth Silvermoon was on, but his sensors reported to him that no bot else was in the room, save for Jolt and himself. Stopping at the berth, Jolt looked up at him.

"Did you find anybot with a bond to her?" the blue medibot asked. Prowl shook his head. "Then see if you still have a friendship bond. She needs help right away."

Prowl offlined his optics. He booted up a program that connected to his spark to scan for any bonds that could have been deleted or temporarily disconnected.

**Search results: 1 File and 1 Single.**

**File Contains Creator Bonds. Single is Friendship Bond.**

**Restore Friendship Bond? Yes No.**

**Yes. Restoring Friendship Bond.**

Prowl onlined his optics and saw Jolt watching him anxiously. "I am restoring the bond," Prowl informed him. The medibot nodded, but retained the expression.

"If she deleted her end of the bond or let it go, this won't work. We need to hope she kept hers," Jolt mumbled, returning his expression to the femme on the berth. Prowl examined the monitor next to Silvermoon, showing the progress of her processor returning online. It was stuck at 16%. Another monitor showed her sparkbeat. It pulsed at a steady interval, but jumped between strong and weak pulses.

**Friendship Bond 50%.**

"It's half restored," Prowl told Jolt. The medibot nodded, but remained silent. The silence blanketed the room, except for the beeping of the monitors. A sudden, loud bang made both mechs jump. They turned and saw Ratchet stride in.

"Status?" he barked worriedly.

"Her spark is going between strong and weak. She needs the help of a bond to stabilize and come back online," Jolt summarized.

"And your purpose here is...?" Ratchet asked, turning to Prowl.

"I'm restoring an old friendship bond to help," Prowl replied in a monotone. He knew Ratchet hated having spare bots in the med bay when they weren't necessary. Then silence reigned again, no bot having anything else to say. It stayed that way for a klik.

Suddenly, the monitor that showed her sparkbeat started going haywire. It beeped louder and the lines etched on the screen started spiking.

"Hurry, Prowl!" Jolt exclaimed, scanning the screen. "This is worse, we may not be able to stabilize her again!"

"I'm trying! It's only at 86%!" Prowl snapped, letting worry seep into his voice, causing Ratchet to start. This femme had to be an important part of Prowl's history for him to actually show emotion. And the chartreuse medibot knew he couldn't let another femme go offline. They were already being killed off because of the war.

Ratchet was so preoccupied with the femme's situation that he missed the two faces peeking in around the med bay doors. He did, however, hear the squeak of the door's hinges. Grabbing a wrench out of subspace, he turned and flung it in the direction of the door, not caring for once if he missed. A loud clang followed by "OW! Slagger!" told him that he hadn't missed. He stomped over to the door.

Prowl watched him go, wondering how Ratchet knew somebot was there. But then again, Prowl remarked, Ratchet knew when anybot was in the med bay, whether or not he was in it. A nano-klik later, the medic stomped back in, dragging a twin in each servo. Sideswipe was rubbing his helm and Sunstreaker was complaining about his paint being scraped by dragging on the ground. Ratchet roughly deposited them next to a berth and told them to stay. Then the mech turned and strode back over to Silvermoon's berth.

The SIC studied the Twin Terrors for a nano-klik. They looked ashamed about being caught. At least, Sideswipe was trying to. Sunstreaker just looked furious about his scratched paint, muttering what Prowl assumed were death threats under his breath. The tactician knew he had worry written all over his faceplates, but he couldn't bring himself to look like his normal, expressionless self. He turned his attention back to Silvermoon, noticing his bond restoration was at 99%.

An astro-second later and the program alerted him that the restoration was complete. "Ratchet, the bond is restored," Prowl called. Both medibots nodded and the three mechs crowded closer.

"Okay," Jolt said. "Use the bond and see if she still has her half. If she does, stabilize her. If she doesn't... Well, be prepared to let her go." Prowl nodded and offlined his optics once again. Putting the bond foremost in his processor, Prowl traveled the length of the bond and searched for Silvermoon.

Much to the mech's horror, he hit a dead end where the bond stopped. Back when he was younger, the two could use the bond to communicate, and Prowl knew that it should lead directly to her processor. But when the two had joined the Elite Guard Academy, they used the bond less and less. By the time Silvermoon had fled off-world, the bond was lying dormant in the back of their processors.

Prowl pushed against the wall, thinking she might have just blocked her end and it would give into her mind any astro-second. A klik later and no results, Prowl was starting to get anxious. _Come on, _he thought, knowing the words might go through the bond._ Let me through, Silvermoon. I will help you. It's me, Prowl._ He kept sending thoughts through, knowing it was his last resort.

He mentally sighed. _I guess this is goodbye, then._ His thought was tinged with sadness. He prepared to requlenish the bond and go back to his own mind when it happened. The wall was taken down. Surprised and overjoyed, Prowl pushed further down the bond, entering her mind. He proceeded slowly, to avoid a mental attack.

Random memories and experiences floated past his consciousness. Her mind was confused from being in stasis for four million orbital cycles. He went past the memories, knowing they might be private. He traveled to the center of her mind, which was where the control center resided.

_Prowl,_ her subconscious thought, recognizing him.

_Silvermoon. Listen to me, you need to stabilize your spark. I can help you,_ He responded, sending her thoughts of urgency. Her subconscious was slow in responding, not having been awakened for a long while.

_Come,_ she finally, her subconscious forming a presence like his. It lead him further into the control center, to a 'room', and stopped before her spark's control. _I am running out of time. I need your help,_ she thought, and it was tinged with a desperate feeling.

_I know, _Prowl responded, trying to comfort her. _Follow my sparkbeat,_ he instructed. The presence of Silvermoon showed understanding and seemed to learn in to his presence. A moment later, the sound of her spark that was echoing in the 'room' started following the pattern of his. It slowly got stabler, becoming less and less jumpier. Finally, her spark was steady, echoing his. After a moment of it pulsing steadily, the lighting in the 'room' got brighter.

_Her spark is producing power. She's waking up,_ Prowl realized.

_Yes, _Silvermoon responded, not as slowly. _I must go. I will be online shortly, if all goes well._

_We will help,_ Prowl assured her. He left her control center, following his trail back to the bond. He quickly scanned her mind before he left, making sure she was indeed coming back online. Reassured, he withdrew from her mind.

Prowl onlined his optics, his internal clock telling him that he'd been in the bond for several kliks. Jolt caught his attention. "You got her to stabilize. She's coming back," he informed the SIC. Prowl nodded, his worry dissolving and a small smile covering his faceplates. The monitor next to her said her processor was 25% online and getting higher.

The tactician glanced around at the bots present. Ratchet wasn't smiling, but he had a triumphant look on his faceplates. Jolt looked relived and mirrored the small smile on Prowl's faceplates. The Twin Terrors were watching interestedly, but still looked clueless. Prowl realized that the medibots had kept those two in the dark about this operation.

"Why does Prowl look _worried_ about the femme?" asked Sideswipe, seeing Prowl and Jolt looking at him. "Is she his sparkmate?" Prowl glared at Sideswipe.

"No," he said curtly. "She was my friend from when we were younglings. We attended the Elite Guard Academy together." Sideswipe didn't look like he believed Prowl, so Prowl turned away, glancing at the monitors. He felt a tugging on the bond, and reached down it. Then he noticed it was only Silvermoon searching for his sparkbeat to remain stable. He sent her the sound of it and she retreated a bit into her own mind, content.

"Wheeljack is bringing Bumblebee in," Ratchet said suddenly. Prowl turned toward him slightly. He hadn't realized that Ratchet had been speaking through a comm. link.

Jolt sighed. "What did 'Jack do this time?"

"I don't know," Ratchet frowned. "He wouldn't say." Just in case, the medic pulled the wench he had thrown at the twins out of subspace. The door swung open a moment later, revealing Wheeljack carrying Bumblebee bridal-style. Ratchet held the wrench threateningly.

Wheeljack eyed it warily as he laid Bumblebee down on a berth. The yellow scout was blackened on his left side, and had several dents.

"I-I didn't mean it!" 'Jack said hastily. "He was just walking by and I was testing my new blaster on a target. It didn't fire right and exploded!"

"That's no surprise," Jolt muttered dryly, only Prowl hearing him.

"And what, may I ask, were you using for the ammunition?" Ratchet inquired, raising the wrench higher.

"Exploding-on-contact magnesium rounds," 'Jack answered in a small voice.

**CLANG.**

Wheeljack rubbed his head, wincing. Ratchet turned to Bumblebee. "Where did you get hit the most?" Bumblebee gestured to his left leg, which was by far the most black.

"It... won't move... at all," Bumblebee spoke quietly, his voice static-y. Ratchet nodded, telling 'Bee not to talk yet. He was still recovering from his experience at Tyger Pax three orbital cycles ago. His voice box couldn't be completely repaired, but he could speak a few words every few solar cycles, much to Ratchet's displeasure.

The medic ran his fingers over the joint that connected the leg to his hip. "Slaggit. The nerves and connector cables are fried. Nice job, 'Jack," Ratchet summarized. Wheeljack had been hit enough times by the wrench of doom to know to look apologetic. He retreated to stand next to the twins, who were still on the berth. Ratchet waved the three mechs away, and they quickly made their exit, not wanting to get wrenched.

Silence followed the slam of the door. Ratchet shook his helm. He pushed Bumblebee's chest to make him lie down and went to find some new connector cables.

Prowl glanced at the monitor. 49%. "I'm going to go get some data pads to work on," he announced, then turned to leave the room. Anxiety flowed through the bond from Silvermoon's end when she realized Prowl was leaving. He assured her that he wouldn't block the bond or stay away long. She kept a firm grip on the bond the whole time he was gone.

Reaching his office, Prowl noticed a tripwire. It looked like somebot had attempted to camouflage it, but had failed horribly. He glanced around, trying to figure out who had set it there. It couldn't be the Twin Terrors, because they hid theirs better than this. He glanced up, seeing a paint can perched precariously on the edge of his door. Prowl opened the door and carefully stepped over the wire. He left the door open and quickly went to his desk.

Grabbing a box, he stuffed the entire stack of data pads labeled 'Urgent'. The stack contained two dozen pads. Another three dozen pads were still sitting on the desk, and Prowl knew by the time Silvermoon woke up, there would be another half-dozen at least. He knew Silvermoon was more important, though, and he picked up the box to leave before he could change his mind. He looked up and saw Cliffjumper standing in the doorway.

"These are from Ultra Magnus," he said, handing two data pads over. "He needs you to look over and okay them." Prowl nodded and stuffed them on the top of the box. He quickly glanced down a the top one, seeing the subject. Before he so much as read the heading, his pede was tugged by a small wire.

_The tripwire!_ He remembered, too late. He pushed the box of data pads out of harms way, but he was too slow to do the same with his body. A nano-klik later, Prowl was standing there, painted bright magenta. Two sets of muffled laughs reached his audio receptors. He turned angrily and saw Skids and Mudflap on their backs, rolling around and laughing.

He stomped toward the newest Autobot recruits and growled, "Brig. Now." They got up and ran off, still laughing. They had obviously tried to mimic the Twin Terrors. He could feel the amusement from the bond. He growled and went back to the med bay.

Jolt looked up when he entered and had to stifle a grin. "Should I ask?" he inquired, raising an optic ridge.

"Skids and Mudflap," he snarled, going to sit by Silvermoon.

Astro-hours later, Prowl was putting down his last data pad. He stretched and heard Silvermoon stirring. He turned toward her. Her optics onlined slowly, turning a glowing blue. She caught sight of him.

"Prowl?"

* * *

**Phew. Longest chapter so far. Next time, you get some history on Silvermoon and Prowl, and Optimus' P.O.V. too. See ya!**


	4. Awake and Alive

**Sorry it took so long. I had to get over writer's block. :( I hate that thing. Anywho, the song for this chapter is The Catalyst by Linkin Park, for lack of a better song. Catalyst means **'A person or thing that precipitates an event.'** Precipitate being 'causing', that would be this chapter causing the rest of the book. Confusing, huh?**

**Thanks to **Purpleismyfavouitecolour** and **IronhideFan1993** for adding this story to their favs and/or alerts.**

Bee4ever**: Yep, something is most definitely brewin'! :)**

**Groon= Cybertronian time equal to an Earth hour**

* * *

Prowl stared glumly at the data pad in his servo._ What's wrong with me? I used to get these done quickly. Now I can't even finish one._ He jumped when an incoming comm. surprised him.

**.:Will you help me debrief Silvermoon? She's not cooperating as much as I had hoped she would.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:Of course. I am on my way.:. -Prowl**

Again, Prowl wondered what was wrong. He knew his job sucked, but now he was jumping at every possibility to get away from his office. He quickly glanced at the stack he had finished, and noted they were reports and the like. The ones he was having troubles with were number-related pads. He got to his pedes and strode out of the office without another thought on his work.

* * *

Silvermoon gazed at Ratchet as he examined Bumblebee's leg. The yellow bot had his optics trained on the medic's servos and they glided over the blackened metal. They hovered over the cables that had been replaced. One finger transformed into some kind of tweezer. It prodded and pulled for a nano-klik, then Ratchet withdrew his servo.

"You should be to go. Don't be on your pedes too much for a few solar cycles and stay away from Wheeljack's lab," Ratchet ordered. Bee nodded, the look in his optics saying he would be staying away from Wheeljack and the bot's lab for a while. He got out of the berth and headed for the door. Then he paused and looked back at Silvermoon. He waved.

Slightly surprised, she waved back, smiling as she did. Then the yellow mech left, leaving her alone with Ratchet. Said medic strode over to her berth then. He glanced at the monitor.

"What's the war over?" Silvermoon asked. Ratchet was caught off-guard by the question and studied her for a moment.

"Possession and leadership of Cybertron," he replied slowly. She cocked her head as she processed the information. _What power-hungry glitchhead would try to rule over all of Cybertron?_ Silvermoon wondered. _Wait, Prowl mentioned somebot's name. Megaton, was it? No... Megatron! That's it!_

"Who's Megatron?"

Ratchet looked baffled. Even if she had been offline, who didn't know who Megatron was? "You might know him by his former name. The gladiator, Megatronus."

Now it was Silvermoon's turn to looked surprised. "Megatronus? I met him once! He didn't seem that bad. Why'd he turn evil?" Then she noticed Ratchet's rather annoyed look. A wry grin crossed her faceplates, unnoticed by the medic. She was annoying him, and annoying bots was her specialty.

"Sooo, Which side are the Autobots on?" she asked, propping herself on one arm and watching Ratchet. He huffed.

"Stopping Megatron from ruling the entire planet."

"And I suppose you always are this grumpy?"

He whirled around and glared at Silvermoon. Unspacing a wrench, he pointed it at her threateningly. "I suppose you always ask this many questions?" She looked at the wrench, unfazed. A loud boom of the doors made Ratchet jump just then.

"What, do you whack bots over the helm with that?"

"Actually, yes, he does," Optimus said, sounding amused. The chartreuse medic glared at his leader and subspaced the wrench. He turned his optics back to the monitor for the fourth time.

"You are in decent shape now. Just stay one lunar cycle and you'll be good to leave," he said, turning and walking away after he said that. Optimus watched him go, then turned his attention to the femme on the berth in front of him.

"Who are you?" asked Silvermoon.

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobot cause," he said gently. Silvermoon was taken aback, realizing how rude she'd sounded, since he was a high rank.

"Sorry, sir. I'm not trying to be rude," she apologized.

"It is quite alright," Optimus responded, retaining the regal air he always had around him. Silvermoon noticed the way he held himself and made mental note to never mess with him. "I am assuming you have a lot of questions about what is going to on? I have the information for you, and some words of cation as well."

Silvermoon nodded, knowing that this was when she could get her answers. "Prowl mentioned something about it not being wise to be neutral. Why?"

Optimus shuttered his optics for a moment, looking sad. When he refocused on her, she saw something like hurt in his gaze. "Megatron has not been able to find a sparkmate. He desires one for sparklings, and won't hesitate to kidnap unbonded femmes and force himself upon them. He has attempted to capture Autobot femmes as well, but forces have always stopped him. If you were to become an Autobot, we could protect you, but as a neutral, you would have to move into one of the civilian towns. The Elite Guard is making sure that no bot but soldiers live on the base."

"The Elite Guard? I went to the academy, maybe I could join them," Silvermoon offered. Optimus mulled over this.

"That would be wise, but they are unfortunately not accepting bots to join at the moment," he informed her. Her expression went from hopeful to thoughtful. "You attended the academy before you crashed into the first moon, correct?"

"Yeah. I was at the academy right before I crashed. I remember fleeing the academy, getting onto my ship, and launching, but then I saw the stars that were far-off and something hit my ship. Then everything is black," she said, more to herself then the Prime.

"Why did you flee?" he asked, puzzled by her word choice. She immediately became defensive, hiding herself behind a wall.

"I... It's not important," she replied distantly.

"It was important at the time," Optimus said, pressing her.

"Mhmm," she answered. Optimus covered a sigh and commed Prowl.

**.:Will you help me debrief Silvermoon? She's not cooperating as much as I had hoped she would.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:Of course. I am on my way.:. -Prowl**

Optics returning their gaze on the room, the Prime noted Silvermoon looked like her focus was somewhere deep in her past. He took the opportunity to study her a bit more. Her slim frame looked slightly battered from her cycles in stasis, but the silver and navy blue paints looked fresh, thanks to the snow. Her armor was the thin kind from before the war, but it fitted her protoform nicely, not being too tight or loose. The style she had complimented her frame.

The doors to the med bay squeaked open, making Optimus look over. His sensors indicated that Silvermoon was gazing at Prowl, who entered the room, as well. Optimus noticed that Ratchet peered around the door to his office, checking on if a wounded bot was coming in. The medibot saw it was only the SIC and withdrew again.

Prowl strode over to Silvermoon's berth and glanced at her. "You commed?" he asked Optimus. Silvermoon knew she looked slightly hurt, now knowing that Prowl hadn't come to see her, rather to see to his leader's needs.

Optimus glanced at her briefly and said, "Yes. I find it intriguing that Silvermoon here will not tell us what happened to make her leave Cybertron in the first place, when it seemed important all those years ago." Prowl looked at his friend.

Silvermoon groaned and brought her knees up to her chest, slamming her helm onto them so the two mechs couldn't see her faceplates. "I don't want to talk about it," she said, slightly muffled. Prowl knew this was why Optimus had commed him, but he also knew when she didn't want to talk about something, she'd never open up. He opened up a private comm. link.

**.:Sir, I have known her long enough that persistence never makes her answer. She might reveal the answer in time.:. -Prowl**

**.:Understood. Can you take over from here? I need to help find the wreckers.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:I can.:. -Prowl**

Optimus nodded and stood up. "Swift recoveries, Silvermoon." The femme looked up at him and acknowledged his leave. Then the leader set off at a pace that said he had a purpose, but didn't seem hurried.

She looked at Prowl, knowing he had to do with Optimus' swift departure. "Thanks for getting him off my chassis," she said. The tactician nodded and sat down on the edge of her berth. "So... what's happened since I was in stasis?"

* * *

Prowl stretched once he was outside the med bay. He'd spoken to Silvermoon for a few groons, and he needed to get a few more data pads done before he could go into recharge. Tomorrow she'd be dismissed, and he could talk more then.

* * *

Silvermoon bounded out of the med bay, eager to leave Ratchet and his grumpy mood behind, his warning to take care of herself still ringing in her audio receptors. The doors eased shut and she glanced down the hall in both directions.

_Slag. I don't know where anything is._ Deciding to turn right, she set a pace that got her to the next intersection quickly. More hallways branched off. _This whole base is a fraggin' maze!_ Turning left this time, the femme went past several closed doors. Each had a sign that proclaimed a bot's name. This was obviously a berth room area.

She wandered around for a few more breems before noise hit her audio receptors. She followed it and stopped before the room that the sound was coming from. About seven bots were in the room, all mechs. It was some kind of rec room, judging by the tables, energon dispensers, and monitors spread throughout it. Cautiously, Silvermoon entered the room. None of them noticed her until she made her way to the one bot she recognized; Bumblebee.

Out of the corner of her optic, she saw two of the mechs in particular watching her. One was blue and holding himself with an air that nobles were notorious for possessing; the other mech was red and orange, with flame decals. She ignored the duo and continued for the yellow bot, who had seen her. Bee was standing next to a silver mech that was considerably shorter than him, and a black mech who had large cannons welded onto both arms.

"Bumblebee," she said, stopping next to the three. "Can you show me where Prowl's office is?"

Bee responded in a series of clicks and beeps that were a basic Cybertronian audio code. "Sorry, I have guard duty in a breem or two. Maybe jazz could show you instead," he beeped, indicating the silver mech. She looked at him.

"Hey, lil' lady. It's good ta see ya online at las'," the mech (Jazz, she corrected herself) said. She smiled slightly. He saw her confusion and elaborated. "Me an' Ironhide here were on tha rescue mission to get ya off tha firs' moon."

"Oh," she responded. "So can you show me to his office?"

"Sho thing," he said, leading her out the door. When he went back past the med bay in the opposite direction, Silvermoon felt stupid.

A bot stopped Jazz right after they'd passed the med bay. He was bright orange and had a slight crazed look to him. "Jazz, Prime wants every available officer to report to his office as quickly as possible. He's discovered some evidence of who the bot might be that sabotaged the ships," he reported. Jazz nodded.

"I'll do tha' as soon as I show Silvamoo' to Prowler's office," Jazz said, dissmissing him. He watched as the two went off again with a slight look of suspicion to his faceplates.

"Don' mind him," Jazz said once they were out of the mech's audio range. "Tha's Fireshower, he's a new recruit an' kinda psychopathic at times." Silvermoon nodded and continued following him, processing the orange mech's words.

"'Every available officer,'" she echoed. "Are you in a position of power?"

"Third in comman'" Jazz said, puffing out his chest plates in a proud sort of way. She smiled at his display. He stopped at a door and said, "We're here. Prowler's office. Goo' luck with whateva."

"Thanks," she replied. He nodded and walked off to Prime's office. Silvermoon vented deeply and knocked on the door. When she got no reply she frowned. Opening the door, she peered inside and saw Prowl, deep in recharge, at his desk. His servo was on top of a data pad that he'd been working on before he'd gone into stasis. She smiled and entered, closing the door behind her. The room was mostly dark, some early morning light filtering in through the window. The data pad also gave off some light. She pulled it out form under his servo and went to shut it off, when a miscalculation made her frown.

She edited the mistake and hesitated for a second, before plowing on to finish off the rest of the number problems. Setting down the now completed data pad, she heard Prowl's systems start humming, signaling he was onlining.

His scanners indicated that there was a Cybertronian energy signature next to him, and groggily he unspaced an acid pellet gun and aimed it at the bot. A startled yelp drew his processor completely online. "Silvermoon?" he asked. She looked at him from where she had fallen onto the floor from surprise. "Sorry," he said, subspacing the gun and helping her up. "How'd you find my office?"

"Jazz," she said simply.

"Ah. So, can I help you with something?"

"Actually, yes. After I heard your stories of Megatron's deeds yesterday, I want to become an Autobot," she stated. He started at her for an astro-second in shock.

"That's great!" he exclaimed. He shuffled through his data pads, trying to find a certain one. His servo accidentally hit one, onlining it. He frowned at it, confused. "I could've sworn I hadn't finished that last night," he mumbled. A sheepish smile from Silvermoon caught his optics. "Did you do this?" She nodded.

He thought about it for a moment, then continued searching for the pad.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yay, chapter 5 is done! Now we can move onto the traitor(s) and the romance! :)**


	5. The Catalyst

**Sorry it took so long. I had to get over writer's block. :( I hate that thing. Anywho, the song for this chapter is The Catalyst by Linkin Park, for lack of a better song. Catalyst means **'A person or thing that precipitates an event.'** Precipitate being 'causing', that would be this chapter causing the rest of the book. Confusing, huh?**

**Thanks to **Purpleismyfavouitecolour** and **IronhideFan1993** for adding this story to their favs and/or alerts.**

Bee4ever**: Yep, something is most definitely brewin'! :)**

**Groon= Cybertronian time equal to an Earth hour**

* * *

Prowl stared glumly at the data pad in his servo._ What's wrong with me? I used to get these done quickly. Now I can't even finish one._ He jumped when an incoming comm. surprised him.

**.:Will you help me debrief Silvermoon? She's not cooperating as much as I had hoped she would.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:Of course. I am on my way.:. -Prowl**

Again, Prowl wondered what was wrong. He knew his job sucked, but now he was jumping at every possibility to get away from his office. He quickly glanced at the stack he had finished, and noted they were reports and the like. The ones he was having troubles with were number-related pads. He got to his pedes and strode out of the office without another thought on his work.

* * *

Silvermoon gazed at Ratchet as he examined Bumblebee's leg. The yellow bot had his optics trained on the medic's servos and they glided over the blackened metal. They hovered over the cables that had been replaced. One finger transformed into some kind of tweezer. It prodded and pulled for a nano-klik, then Ratchet withdrew his servo.

"You should be to go. Don't be on your pedes too much for a few solar cycles and stay away from Wheeljack's lab," Ratchet ordered. Bee nodded, the look in his optics saying he would be staying away from Wheeljack and the bot's lab for a while. He got out of the berth and headed for the door. Then he paused and looked back at Silvermoon. He waved.

Slightly surprised, she waved back, smiling as she did. Then the yellow mech left, leaving her alone with Ratchet. Said medic strode over to her berth then. He glanced at the monitor.

"What's the war over?" Silvermoon asked. Ratchet was caught off-guard by the question and studied her for a moment.

"Possession and leadership of Cybertron," he replied slowly. She cocked her head as she processed the information. _What power-hungry glitchhead would try to rule over all of Cybertron?_ Silvermoon wondered. _Wait, Prowl mentioned somebot's name. Megaton, was it? No... Megatron! That's it!_

"Who's Megatron?"

Ratchet looked baffled. Even if she had been offline, who didn't know who Megatron was? "You might know him by his former name. The gladiator, Megatronus."

Now it was Silvermoon's turn to looked surprised. "Megatronus? I met him once! He didn't seem that bad. Why'd he turn evil?" Then she noticed Ratchet's rather annoyed look. A wry grin crossed her faceplates, unnoticed by the medic. She was annoying him, and annoying bots was her specialty.

"Sooo, Which side are the Autobots on?" she asked, propping herself on one arm and watching Ratchet. He huffed.

"Stopping Megatron from ruling the entire planet."

"And I suppose you always are this grumpy?"

He whirled around and glared at Silvermoon. Unspacing a wrench, he pointed it at her threateningly. "I suppose you always ask this many questions?" She looked at the wrench, unfazed. A loud boom of the doors made Ratchet jump just then.

"What, do you whack bots over the helm with that?"

"Actually, yes, he does," Optimus said, sounding amused. The chartreuse medic glared at his leader and subspaced the wrench. He turned his optics back to the monitor for the fourth time.

"You are in decent shape now. Just stay one lunar cycle and you'll be good to leave," he said, turning and walking away after he said that. Optimus watched him go, then turned his attention to the femme on the berth in front of him.

"Who are you?" asked Silvermoon.

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobot cause," he said gently. Silvermoon was taken aback, realizing how rude she'd sounded, since he was a high rank.

"Sorry, sir. I'm not trying to be rude," she apologized.

"It is quite alright," Optimus responded, retaining the regal air he always had around him. Silvermoon noticed the way he held himself and made mental note to never mess with him. "I am assuming you have a lot of questions about what is going to on? I have the information for you, and some words of cation as well."

Silvermoon nodded, knowing that this was when she could get her answers. "Prowl mentioned something about it not being wise to be neutral. Why?"

Optimus shuttered his optics for a moment, looking sad. When he refocused on her, she saw something like hurt in his gaze. "Megatron has not been able to find a sparkmate. He desires one for sparklings, and won't hesitate to kidnap unbonded femmes and force himself upon them. He has attempted to capture Autobot femmes as well, but forces have always stopped him. If you were to become an Autobot, we could protect you, but as a neutral, you would have to move into one of the civilian towns. The Elite Guard is making sure that no bot but soldiers live on the base."

"The Elite Guard? I went to the academy, maybe I could join them," Silvermoon offered. Optimus mulled over this.

"That would be wise, but they are unfortunately not accepting bots to join at the moment," he informed her. Her expression went from hopeful to thoughtful. "You attended the academy before you crashed into the first moon, correct?"

"Yeah. I was at the academy right before I crashed. I remember fleeing the academy, getting onto my ship, and launching, but then I saw the stars that were far-off and something hit my ship. Then everything is black," she said, more to herself then the Prime.

"Why did you flee?" he asked, puzzled by her word choice. She immediately became defensive, hiding herself behind a wall.

"I... It's not important," she replied distantly.

"It was important at the time," Optimus said, pressing her.

"Mhmm," she answered. Optimus covered a sigh and commed Prowl.

**.:Will you help me debrief Silvermoon? She's not cooperating as much as I had hoped she would.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:Of course. I am on my way.:. -Prowl**

Optics returning their gaze on the room, the Prime noted Silvermoon looked like her focus was somewhere deep in her past. He took the opportunity to study her a bit more. Her slim frame looked slightly battered from her cycles in stasis, but the silver and navy blue paints looked fresh, thanks to the snow. Her armor was the thin kind from before the war, but it fitted her protoform nicely, not being too tight or loose. The style she had complimented her frame.

The doors to the med bay squeaked open, making Optimus look over. His sensors indicated that Silvermoon was gazing at Prowl, who entered the room, as well. Optimus noticed that Ratchet peered around the door to his office, checking on if a wounded bot was coming in. The medibot saw it was only the SIC and withdrew again.

Prowl strode over to Silvermoon's berth and glanced at her. "You commed?" he asked Optimus. Silvermoon knew she looked slightly hurt, now knowing that Prowl hadn't come to see her, rather to see to his leader's needs.

Optimus glanced at her briefly and said, "Yes. I find it intriguing that Silvermoon here will not tell us what happened to make her leave Cybertron in the first place, when it seemed important all those years ago." Prowl looked at his friend.

Silvermoon groaned and brought her knees up to her chest, slamming her helm onto them so the two mechs couldn't see her faceplates. "I don't want to talk about it," she said, slightly muffled. Prowl knew this was why Optimus had commed him, but he also knew when she didn't want to talk about something, she'd never open up. He opened up a private comm. link.

**.:Sir, I have known her long enough that persistence never makes her answer. She might reveal the answer in time.:. -Prowl**

**.:Understood. Can you take over from here? I need to help find the wreckers.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:I can.:. -Prowl**

Optimus nodded and stood up. "Swift recoveries, Silvermoon." The femme looked up at him and acknowledged his leave. Then the leader set off at a pace that said he had a purpose, but didn't seem hurried.

She looked at Prowl, knowing he had to do with Optimus' swift departure. "Thanks for getting him off my chassis," she said. The tactician nodded and sat down on the edge of her berth. "So... what's happened since I was in stasis?"

* * *

Prowl stretched once he was outside the med bay. He'd spoken to Silvermoon for a few groons, and he needed to get a few more data pads done before he could go into recharge. Tomorrow she'd be dismissed, and he could talk more then.

Silvermoon bounded out of the med bay, eager to leave Ratchet and his grumpy mood behind, his warning to take care of herself still ringing in her audio receptors. The doors eased shut and she glanced down the hall in both directions.

_Slag. I don't know where anything is._ Deciding to turn right, she set a pace that got her to the next intersection quickly. More hallways branched off. _This whole base is a fraggin' maze!_ Turning left this time, the femme went past several closed doors. Each had a sign that proclaimed a bot's name. This was obviously a berth room area.

She wandered around for a few more breems before noise hit her audio receptors. She followed it and stopped before the room that the sound was coming from. About seven bots were in the room, all mechs. It was some kind of rec room, judging by the tables, energon dispensers, and monitors spread throughout it. Cautiously, Silvermoon entered the room. None of them noticed her until she made her way to the one bot she recognized; Bumblebee.

Out of the corner of her optic, she saw two of the mechs in particular watching her. One was blue and holding himself with an air that nobles were notorious for possessing; the other mech was red and orange, with flame decals. She ignored the duo and continued for the yellow bot, who had seen her. Bee was standing next to a silver mech that was considerably shorter than him, and a black mech who had large cannons welded onto both arms.

"Bumblebee," she said, stopping next to the three. "Can you show me where Prowl's office is?"

Bee responded in a series of clicks and beeps that were a basic Cybertronian audio code. "Sorry, I have guard duty in a breem or two. Maybe Jazz could show you instead," he beeped, indicating the silver mech. She looked at him.

"Hey, lil' lady. It's good ta see ya online at las'," the mech (Jazz, she corrected herself) said. She smiled slightly. He saw her confusion and elaborated. "Me an' Ironhide here were on tha rescue mission to get ya off tha firs' moon."

"Oh," she responded. "So can you show me to his office?"

"Sho thing," he said, leading her out the door. When he went back past the med bay in the opposite direction, Silvermoon felt stupid.

A bot stopped Jazz right after they'd passed the med bay. He was bright orange and had a slight crazed look to him. "Jazz, Prime wants every available officer to report to his office as quickly as possible. He's discovered some evidence of who the bot might be that sabotaged the ships," he reported. Jazz nodded.

"I'll do tha' as soon as I show Silvamoo' to Prowler's office," Jazz said, dissmissing him. He watched as the two went off again with a slight look of suspicion to his faceplates.

"Don' mind him," Jazz said once they were out of the mech's audio range. "Tha's Fireshower, he's a new recruit an' kinda psychopathic at times." Silvermoon nodded and continued following him, processing the orange mech's words.

"'Every available officer,'" she echoed. "Are you in a position of power?"

"Third in comman'" Jazz said, puffing out his chest plates in a proud sort of way. She smiled at his display. He stopped at a door and said, "We're here. Prowler's office. Goo' luck with whateva."

"Thanks," she replied. He nodded and walked off to Prime's office. Silvermoon vented deeply and knocked on the door. When she got no reply she frowned. Opening the door, she peered inside and saw Prowl, deep in recharge, at his desk. His servo was on top of a data pad that he'd been working on before he'd gone into stasis. She smiled and entered, closing the door behind her. The room was mostly dark, some early morning light filtering in through the window. The data pad also gave off some light. She pulled it out form under his servo and went to shut it off, when a miscalculation made her frown.

She edited the mistake and hesitated for a second, before plowing on to finish off the rest of the number problems. Setting down the now completed data pad, she heard Prowl's systems start humming, signaling he was onlining.

His scanners indicated that there was a Cybertronian energy signature next to him, and groggily he unspaced an acid pellet gun and aimed it at the bot. A startled yelp drew his processor completely online. "Silvermoon?" he asked. She looked at him from where she had fallen onto the floor from surprise. "Sorry," he said, subspacing the gun and helping her up. "How'd you find my office?"

"Jazz," she said simply.

"Ah. So, can I help you with something?"

"Actually, yes. After I heard your stories of Megatron's deeds yesterday, I want to become an Autobot," she stated. He started at her for an astro-second in shock.

"That's great!" he exclaimed. He shuffled through his data pads, trying to find a certain one. His servo accidentally hit one, onlining it. He frowned at it, confused. "I could've sworn I hadn't finished that last night," he mumbled. A sheepish smile from Silvermoon caught his optics. "Did you do this?" She nodded.

He thought about it for a moment, then continued searching for the pad.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yay, chapter 5 is done! Now we can move onto the traitor(s) and the romance! :)**


	6. Feed the Machine

**Hey! Sorry school's been such a pain lately. I got this chapter typed as fast as I could. Lots happens in it. The song for this chapter is Feed the Machine by Red because that's how Prowl felt when he lost Silvermoon. Thanks to **NewFaeTales **for following the story!**

* * *

Silvermoon walked around a corner and almost instantly regretted it. She tried to turn around, but they caught sight of her before she could away.

"Hey! Silvermoon!"

She cringed and cursed the ancient Primes, rubbing the Autobot symbol that adorned her shoulder plates now, before turning back with a fake smile. Two bots trotted over to her.

"What are you doing down here?" the red one asked.

"Looking for Ironhide. He's supposed to be training me a bit today," she responded, remembering the red mech's name was Sideswipe.

"Oh, Ironhide's in his berth room, attempting to fix his precious cannons," Sideswipe grinned. Silvermoon barely concealed a sigh. Prowl had warned her to stay away from the pranksters. She knew they got on everybot's nerves.

"What did you do this time?"

"Filled them with purple paint," Sunstreaker butted in, displaying one of his rare grins. "Slagger tried to hit us in training and got Chromia instead. Had the living slag beat outta him."

Silvermoon raised a brow plate, slightly impressed. Turning sparkmates against each other wasn't in her book, but it was kind of funny to watch. "You're getting better," she said against her will.

"'Better'? We're the best!" Sideswipe exclaimed, affronted.

"Ah, no. Prowl and _I_ are the best," she corrected.

"Prowl's actually pranked somebot? Pssh, yeah right," Sunstreaker said.

"He never told anybot?" she asked.

"Told us what?" Sideswipe inquired, intrigued.

"When we were in the Elite Guard Academy, he and I would prank different bots tons of times. Like one time, we got our instructor, Sentinel Prime. We meddled with his gravity sensors and was floating near the ceiling for about an orn. Yelled at everybot to help him, but didn't let anybot near. And he was too mad to figure it out himself," Silvermoon told the twins. Sideswipe's mouthplate dropped, impressed.

"You were taught by Sentinel Prime?" Sunstreaker wondered.

Silvermoon nodded. "What happened to the bot, anyways?"

"He went off on a mission and few orbital cycles to protect his pillars, the ones that formed the space bridge. We haven't heard from him since," Sunstreaker informed her.

"Eh, he was a slagger. Always tried to offline us with too many laps around the track," Silvermoon shrugged. Sideswipe found his vocalizer again.

"So _Prowl_ was a prankster? I still find that hard to believe."

"It's true," Silvermoon stated. "I still remember our nightly rounds to make the bots on night guard uncomfortable." She grinned at the few memories that came foremost to her processor. A bot freaking out at holographic scraplettes, another bot running from recorded horror movies sounds, and another bot thinking he was being stalked.

"Well we need to practice now," Sunstreaker said, crossing his arms. "We'll find a prank to impress you a_nd_ Prowl." He uncrossed his arms and drug Sideswipe away. "And you might not want to bother Ironhide for a while," he shot back over his shoulder.

_How bad could he be?_ Silvermoon thought.

Bad idea. She winced at Ironhide's glare when he answered his door. It softened only the slightest amount when he saw it was her and not the Twin Terrors.

"Whadaya want?" he growled.

"Um, I thought we had training?" she questioned, sightly scared.

"Now's not really a good time," he said, grimacing when a femme inside called his designation. A blue femme appeared next to his shoulder.

"Oh, Silvermoon. Hi," Chromia said.

"Chromia," Silvermoon inclined her head. She noticed the purple on Chromia's chassis. "I just saw the twins." She gestured at the paint.

"Did you beat their afts?" asked Ironhide.

"No, just told them how Prowl and I were- _are_, sorry- better pranksters than them."

"Good, leaves more for me t- What? _Prowl's_ a prankster?" Ironhide's jaw dropped. Silvermoon sighed.

"If he had just told everybot, no bot would be shocked to hear that."

"He never even told us that he had a friend, let alone something as crazy as that," Chromia replied, as Ironhide was still in shock. It was a wonder he didn't glitch.

"Why is Prowl pranking a bot crazy?" Silvermoon inquired, confused. They'd pranked bots tons of times before, why'd the Autobots find that weird? Now Chromia sighed.

"He's changed from what you probably used to know him as," she said. "Come in, I'll answer your questions." Silvermoon accepted the invite and stepped around Ironhide, who recovered then. He let her through and then closed the door. Chromia sat down at a loveseat and grabbed a sponge that was soaked through with solvent. She started to scrub vigorously at her armor. Ironhide scowled as he fiddled with his cannons.

"So why's pranking weird?" Silvermoon asked, settling down in a chair. Chromia glanced up briefly, then back down as she started talking.

"When Prowl joined Optimus at the start of the war, or so I've heard, he was like he is now; cold, hard, and unemotional. When Ironhide and I joined, he didn't have the glitch he does now. That took a couple hundred orbital cycles of, I'm assuming, hiding emotions. Now he has it, and Ratchet said it's impossible to get rid of without dangerous processor surgery or Prowl showing emotions. But for some reason the bot never does." Chromia paused to scratch at a piece of paint that had dried.

"'Glitch'?" Silvermoon asked.

She nodded. "If something unpredictable or out of the ordinary happens, his processor will shut down and he'll go into temporary stasis. He always come back after a few breems. Anyways, he's the Second in Command, a tactician, and hides his emotions so well that anybot who doesn't know him personally would think he'd wiped them from his programming. He's an exceptional fighter, brave, and cares for the weaker, but doesn't show it. He makes sacrifices for the good of the team and seems like a work-a-holic. He's been that way all through the war, not changing like most bots have. After all this time, picturing him as an adolescent is odd. Adding him being a mini-Sideswipe or Sunstreaker is almost impossible. That's why no bot can grasp what you're telling them."

Silence reigned for a half-breem when she finished speaking. Silvermoon was quiet enough that Chromia looked up, concerned at her well-being. The sight that greeted her optics was the navy and silver femme a paler version of her normal colors, looking startled at how Prowl had changed. "Why'd he change to that?" she finally asked.

Chromia shrugged. "I was assuming he'd always been like that. What was he like when you were younger?"

"We both loved pranking other bots and got sent down to the brig more times than I'd cared to count. He was almost carefree, but really cared about his studies. We attended the Elite Guard Academy together. He was my first and best friend. Our creators knew each other and were good friends, so we've known each other since early sparklinghood," she summarized briefly.

Chromia forced back a jaw-drop like her sparkmate had done earlier. No wonder Silvermoon thought others were crazy for not thinking Prowl could pull a prank. That sounded like a completely different bot.

"And you really don't know why he changed?" Silvermoon asked, her voice tinged with desperateness.

Chromia detected this and shook her helm sadly. "Nope, sorry." After a brief pause, she added, "Why don't you go ask him?" Silvermoon's color came back to almost it's fullest. She got to her pedes.

"I will," she said, turning for the door. Chromia also stood and followed. At the door, she stopped.

"Are you gonna be okay?" she asked.

Silvermoon nodded. "Thanks," she said.

"Anytime. Come back if you need a femme to talk to," Chromia said, watching her stride down the hall, looking more like normally with every step.

Silvermoon vented deeply once she was out of sight from Ironhide and Chromia's room. She directed her pedes for Prowl's office, never noticing the blue bot who disappeared from sight behind her. She did, however, hear pedesteps somewhere behind her. Her sensors told her that there was somebot behind her, but when she checked discreetly, she saw no bot. Curious, and slightly creeped out, Silvermoon continued as though she didn't know there was somebot behind her.

The corner before Prowl's office was a three-way intersection. One route was a dead end, there if they needed to expand for some reason. It was about ten feet long. Silvermoon darted into the dead end, hoping to shake off whoever was tailing her. She morphed her servos into twin blasters. With a chuckle from nowhere, a bot popped into sight. He was a blue mech, and she recognized him from her fist day at the base. His designation was Mirage.

Warily, Silvermoon turned her servos back to normal. "Why are you following me?" she asked.

He chuckled again. "You just trapped yourself," he responded, not answering her. Silvermoon's olfactory sensors detected large amounts of high grade coming from him and sent her a warning. He was overloaded, which usually turned bots weird.

"What do you want?" she asked, ready to make a break for Prowl's office.

"What most mechs look for. A sparkmate," he slurred. "You're very pretty, you know that?" He moved closer, pinning her arms to the wall. Silvermoon vented hard, too scared to call out. A horrible memory assaulted her mercilessly, and she revisited the solar cycle she left Cybertron. She was still aware of Mirage too close to her, but her processor replaced the slender blue frame with the illusion of a triangular, winged, gray body. Her vents came in huffs and she stuttered, trying to shove the illusion away. Fear flooded her, overriding common sense.

"Get away!" she said. He ignored her feeble request and moved closer. The illusion of the gray mech vanished, replaced with Mirage's faceplates approaching her, getting way too close. Her venting stuttered and stopped altogether. She jerked her helm back, stopped by the wall behind her. His mouthplates found her neck, slowly working their way up. The terror racing through her frame overrode any pleasure that could've come from the encounter.

"Let me go!" she said, in a last attempt to get him off of her. She shoved against him, and to her surprise, he moved backwards. But he went a lot farther than she had pushed him. He was jerked back out of the dead end and into the hall, where he sat in a daze. The black and white frame of Prowl had his acid pellet gun aimed at the offending mech, standing between the femme he was guarding and Mirage.

"You heard her. Leave," Prowl ordered. Mirage eyed the gun, knowing not to mess with his superiors, even if he was overloaded. He hesitantly backed away, taking off for his berth room. Making sure the noble really was gone, Prowl turned to Silvermoon. She was on the ground, sobs wracking her frame. He subspaced the gun and knelt down. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. She nodded, still leaking energon from her optics. He pulled her close, his strong arms wrapping protectively around her, similar to the position he'd held her in in the med bay.

She continued to sob for a breem, then settled down a bit. Another breem and she had control of herself, wiping the energon from her faceplates. "Sorry about that," she muttered. He nodded.

"It's fine." Prowl let her sit up. His pedes were getting numb from the awkward crouch he was in, but he ignored them.

"I was looking for you," Silvermoon stated quietly.

"Why?" he asked.

"I had a few questions, but... well, _he _corned me.." she trailed off.

"He's gone now," Prowl stated firmly. "What did you have to ask?"

She hesitated for a moment, then inquired, "Why are you like you are now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, from what Chromia explained you to be like, you're not like you were at the Academy. She said you appear to be emotionless, and you have a _glitch._" Silvermoon slightly smiled at the last part, finding it almost amusing. Prowl sighed.

"When you left, I tried to contact you, but the connection would not go through. I'd though you had offlined, and I was mourning. Your creators were as well. Everybot at the academy knew why I was upset, but they all expected me to always be angry after that, or return to myself and prank again. But I could not do that without you, so I did not please anybot and chose to be emotionless instead. The glitch was caused by my decision some time later," Prowl explained. "The void left by having no emotions seemed to grow bigger, and I filled it with a logic circuit and tactical program. No bot here has seen me different from that."

Silvermoon's optics hadn't left Prowl throughout his explanation and she remained silent when he was done. She did, however, nod at the end.

"Now I have a question of my own," the SIC said. "What did Mirage's encounter remind you of to get you so terrified?"

Silvermoon started. Of course Prowl would figure out why she'd freaked. He'd known her for her whole life. Well, minus the stasis time. Making up her mind, she admitted, "The solar cycle I left Cybertron. He reminded me of the bot who scared me so bad I fled."

"A bot was what made you leave?" Prowl asked. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have dealt with him!" His spark clenched at the thought of her getting harmed. He realized this a moment later and was confused by its actions.

"I was too scared and not thinking straight," Silvermoon responded quietly, dropping her optics to her lap. "I didn't want you to have to deal with him." He was flattered she cared that much, but angry she wouldn't tell him.

He wrapped a servo over her chin and lifted her helm to look at her in the optics. "You can tell me if something happens. I _will_ protect you. You are my friend and I would feel horrible if I lost you for a second time. Count on it," he stated firmly, vowing with his spark.

He saw her optics glow a little brighter at his words. She nodded. "Prowl, the mech, he did-"

Silvermoon was interrupted by the loudspeakers crackling to life all over the base.

"Autobots," Blaster's voice boomed. "We've got incoming decepticons, ETA five breems. Ready yourselves for battle."

* * *

**Author's note: I hope I didn't make the mech who scared Silvermoon the first time too obvious! Can anybot guess who he is? Whoever gets it right gets a hug from Jolt!**

**Jolt: Why'd you have to drag me into this? *grabs Wrench of Death threateningly***

**Me: 'cuz I can.**

**Ratchet: Give me that! * grabs wrench and whacks Jolt***

**Jolt: OW!**


	7. I Will Not Bow

** This chapter was pestering me until I sat down to write it. Now it's published. :D The song for this chapter is I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin, since Silvermoon doesn't give up. Thanks to **JustanamelssGirl **and **GalaxyWarriorss1234 **for favoriting and **XxLockexX **and **Berenos** for following this story.**

Bee4ever**: Thanks. And yes, it was Starscream.**

SolarFlare Prime**: Yep.**

**Congrats to **Bee4ever **and **SolarFlare Prime **for guessing correctly. You both get hugs from Jolt now. :D**

**Jolt: Dear Primus help me. -.-'**

**Me: Stop being such a wuss! *shoves Jolt toward you***

**Vorn= 83 Cybertronian years**

* * *

Prowl was distinctly aware of his protective mode getting the better of him. He grabbed Silvermoon and hauled her to her pedes, guiding her to his office. His acid pellet gun was unspaced and aimed every which and way until the door was safely closed behind them.

"I can walk, you know," she said irritably. Then her expression changed to shock with some hints of leftover sadness. "When was the last time they attacked?"

"Too long ago to know what they're planning," was all he replied, quickly opening up comm. links.

**.:Jazz, what do we know so far?:. -Prowl**

**.:Tha' there's a lot of 'em incomin'.:. -Jazz**

**.:A couple dozen, to be precise.:. -Perceptor**

**.:Have we managed to locate the wreckers yet? And who's getting the ships in the air?:. -Prowl**

**.:No, an' Magnus is in charge o' tha'.:. -Jazz**

**.:I'm on my way.:. -Prowl**

His optics came back into focus and saw Silvermoon watching him. "Let me help," she said quietly.

His response was immediate. "No."

"Why not? I can fight!" Her optics flashed dangerously.

"I never said you couldn't," he replied calmly. "I just want you to be safe. A lot has changed since you were in stasis. You wouldn't know how to counter their moves."

"But wouldn't they not be expecting old moves? Before they switch their mode, I'd be done with them!"

Prowl couldn't deny that logic. He ran some data through his tactical program a few times, checking for errors. Then he sighed. "Fine. But you need to be _very_ careful. Or I'll have to deal with the 'con who offlines you," he said in a monotone. Silvermoon knew he was serious, so she nodded once.

"I will." Gun in hand, Prowl lead her back out of his office. He heard her morph her servos into twin blasters.

* * *

Optimus Prime gazed at Teletraan One's monitor intently. Blinking dots slowly got closer to their base with every passing nano-klik. Jazz stood next him, also watching the screen. Ultra Magnus had run out a few kliks ago to oversee the ship's departures. Blaster and Perceptor were at a different monitor, checking on other statistics.

The doors were thrown open with a loud _bang_. Prime didn't even need to turn around to know it was Prowl and Silvermoon; his sensors told him who they were by their energy signatures. "Have you had any luck in finding the wreckers?" Prime asked.

"Negative, sir," his SIC replied.

"Very well. Teletraan One, search the base for the wreckers Topspin, Leadfoot, and Roadbuster."

The computer gave a few beeps to let them know it was doing as it was commanded. A box popped up on the screen. It was divided in half, one sweeping for any heat signatures, the other energon signatures. Optimus tore his gaze from the monitor and to his officers.

"Perceptor, get Wheeljack and the mini-bombs he has been experimenting with. Jazz and Prowl, go get the troops ready for battle. Blaster, we may require assistance on the field," Optimus ordered. The bots took off, each going to wherever they had been told. Optimus glanced at the screen once more before going out to wait with his troops.

* * *

Silvermoon vented as she ran alongside Prowl. Jazz was ahead of them. Prowl still had his gun out, and after a moment's hesitation, Silvermoon morphed one servo into a energon blade, the older version of the one Prime wielded. Coming to a halt, the femme studied where they were.

Right outside of the base, two dozen small ships that could've been described as modified pods sat, glinting in the early morning sunlight. There were three times as many bots, pacing, talking, and holding various weapons. She saw many swords, guns, and even a few oddities, like a bot with a wrecking ball and another with a double-bladed axe. The medic's assistant, Jolt, she remembered, had a pair of electric whips out. The milling crowd stood still when they realized that Jazz and Prowl were about to address them.

"Autobots, we have confirmed about fifty decepticons incoming. Their goal is unknown, but we are assuming they are after the Allspark," Prowl said, his voice elevated from its normal volume. "You all know your goal: Keep them from it." At that moment, Ultra Magnus rushed up.

"I've got the pods assigned to the pilots," he told them in an undertone. Then, louder, he said to the troops, "Bots who are going to be in the pods; I have orders for you. Do not break rank, assist the ground teams if necessary, and do not engage Megatron. We will be starting with the Omega Maneuver. Now get to your pods." He had to raise his voice at the end, for muttering had started when he had mentioned Megatron's name. Silvermoon's audios picked up the same question form most of the talk. "_Megatron's_ gonna be here?"

_It must have been a while since he last showed his faceplates in battle,_ Silvermoon decided. A flurry of movement followed Magnus' words. Two bots for each ship left the group, leaving one third of the group to fight on the ground.

The sound of pedes on the ground made Silvermoon turn. Ironhide walked out of the base, leading Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Bumblebee, Mirage, Arcee, Perceptor, Wheeljack, and Blaster. Optimus Prime brought the rear. Both the scientists had their servos full of tiny spherical pods, glinting silver and looking like nothing bad could happen from them. Silvermoon knew this wasn't the case, seeing Ironhide throwing cautious looks at the objects.

Optimus took center, and all the bots that had come out with him went to the crowd. Prowl motioned for Silvermoon to follow them, so she turned on her heel and stood next to Bumblebee. Looking up at the bots in front, she saw them in a military order.

Optimus was in front, being the leader. Prowl was standing next to his shoulder. Jazz was a little further back. And Ultra Magnus was a little ways behind Jazz. "Autobots," Optimus said quietly, silencing the crowd with the one word. "Megatron has been ruthless lately, showing even less mercy. We all need to be cautious. They will be here in a few kliks." Prime fell silent, and no bot else said anything.

They all turned to look towards the Elite Guard Station, which was north of the base and perched on one of the few mountains Cybertron had. Over the station, small figures appeared, only dots in the distance. The nano-kliks passed by, and the dots grew large enough to see. Silvermoon could see a helm on one, the servo on another, and the wings of a seeker on one towards the front. All of the pods' engines onlined, glowing a fiery orange. They rocketed upright and hovered over the group for a moment, before going into complex maneuvers, passing each other with less than a foot of air between the wing struts. It was the work of pilots who had trained for vorns with one goal; eliminate the decepticon threat, and the flying was a sight to see.

Around her, the other bots bent into stances, onlining various guns. Silvermoon copied them. All too soon, the decepticons were at the front of the ranks. One silver vehicle, too small to be a ship, swept over the top of the troops, going straight to the back, where Optimus Prime stood. Silvermoon had a nano-klik to watch before the decepticons got to her, and she stared in awe as the vehicle transformed into an evil looking mech, who she had no doubt was Megatron. She turned her attention back to the battle just in time to sidestep a blast, then duck a punch from the same mech.

She swung her sword and hit the mech's arm, cutting through a few cables and causing his blaster to go offline suddenly. His glanced at it and swore, morphing it back to his servo. He threw another punch at her and she dodged it again. The femme leaped into the air, doing a back-flip and crashing her energon blade into his helm as she came down. With a loud clank, the mech fell to the ground, knocked into stasis lock. Silvermoon allowed herself a brief grin before turning to her next opponent.

* * *

Prowl fired a blast at Megatron as he landed in front of Prime. Across from him, Jazz did the same. The blast combined and hit the warlord in the shoulder, causing him to snarl. Optimus then sent both the mechs a look, telling them to leave this battle between the brothers. Prowl hastened to get out into the crowd of bots that were fighting the 'cons. Above the ground action, the pods swirled around, following patterns no bot but they knew. They fired alternately at mechs on the ground and the seekers that had shown up with Megatron.

The SIC watched Silvermoon do an astounding back-flip and knock a 'con unconscious, before facing another mech. He knew she was capable of defeating this one as easily as the first, but another mech was sneaking up form the side. By the time she noticed the second one, it would've been too late, had Prowl not interfered. He shot the second mech in the neck with his acid pellet gun, jumping down to stand next to the femme. The mech screamed in agony as the acid worked its way over his frame. He abruptly fell silent, as though struck dumb, as the acid ate away at his vocalizer.

"Thanks," she told him, catching a punch from the first mech with the sharp edge of her sword, causing him to yowl most unmech-ly-like. Old instincts caused the two to go back-to-back, fighting like they had during training while they were at the Academy. Prowl had his sensors on high alert, even though they crowded his processor with the number of signatures around him. Altering the program to warn him if a signature seemed to be going for Silvermoon, he refocused his attentions on the battle around him.

* * *

Silvermoon waited for her latest opponent to try whatever move caught his fancy. She dodged yet another punch and heard a clang as Prowl out what seemed like his fiftieth opposer. Sinking her blade into the greenish mech that stood before her, she watched him fall to the ground, withering around as the pain took its toll. The femme glanced up briefly to see that the crowd around them was thinning as the battle progressed. It had been going on for an astro-hour. Many mechs and half of the few femmes that had come were on the ground. Few were offline, the rest into forced stasis lock. Ratchet was in the med bay, repairing whatever bots had been brought to him by Jolt or First Aid. Said bots were making rounds, collecting anybot on their side who was in need of medical assistance.

The whine of a jet engine caught Silvermoon's attention, making her look up. A lithe, beige fighter jet was above her. It transformed into a mech, his body framed by wings. A purple decepticon symbol sat proudly on his chest. The transformation complete, he fell to the the ground in front of Silvermoon, landing gracefully on his pedes. His faceplates triggered a memory in Silvermoon's processor. A very unwelcome memory, one she had tried to forgot numerous times.

"YOU!" she screamed, charging toward him.

***FLASHBACK***

Her venting increased in cycles, her frame pinned against the wall by a mech that dwarfed her almost twice over. His wings blocked any routes of escape. His lip plates trailed delicately over her neck, trailing downward slowly.

"G-get away from m-me," she hissed shakily. A chuckled welled up in the mech's throat, making him pause.

"Good luck with that," he murmured, the movement of his lips making her shiver. He mistook it for pleasure and resumed his movements.

"What are you doing Starscream?" asked a voice from behind him. He stopped, turning to face whoever had spoken. He tried to block her behind his wings, but she was too fast for him. She snuck out as he turned, hightailing it down the hall.

Turning a corner quickly, Silvermoon ran into a mech. "Silvermoon?" asked Prowl, looking at her. "What's wrong?"

"I... It's nothing," she said, frantically scrambling back onto her pedes and throwing glances back over her shoulder. "I... have to go," she said quickly, taking off again, throwing glances over her shoulderplates for any sign of Starscream pursuing her. She ran off and hurried outside to where her mini-pod was parked. Getting inside, she fired up the engines and set a course for off-world.

Two kliks later, something pulled the ship off its course. She tugged at the yoke, trying to get the ship back on track. But the force was too strong, and the last thing she saw was the first moon approaching through the windshield at an alarmingly fast pace.

***END FALSHBACK***

Silvermoon charged, catching Starscream off-guard. She slashed viciously, putting a few scratches on his tan armor. He merely chuckled. "So the femme returns. Where have you been for the past four million orbital cycles?" He suddenly struck her with a backhand slap. She flew backwards a few paces, wincing. She could tell Prowl was confused by her sudden outburst. Ignoring him, she charged at Starscream again.

"You-will-never-do-that-again," she snarled, punctuating each word with a slash of her sword. He didn't even blink. She kept going, but eventually his experience triumphed over her anger, and he hit her with enough force to knock her into stasis lock.

* * *

_Fight. Scent of spilled energon. Bodies littered the ground. Seeker frame against Praxian model. Seeker winning, Praxian forced to ground. Blaster to throat, onlining...Praxian looks at her... "I'm sorry Silvermoon," Prowl says. Bows head, explosion..._

"NOO!" Silvermoon awoke with a start. Prowl was glancing at her anxiously from the foot of her berth.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly. She looked him over, making sure Starscream hadn't really offlined him. Somewhere in the back of her processor registered she was in the med bay, with a few other bots in berths, looking at her.

"It was a dream," she realized. "Just a dream..." She sunk back onto the berth. Prowl was looking at her, checking to see she was safe.

"What was with you charging Starscream?" he asked. "That was reckless."

"Prowl, it was Starscream. He was the one who chased me off Cybertron all those cycles ago."

* * *

**Duh duh DUH! Now we know why she was chased off! :) **


	8. Decode

**A/N: Ugh, this one took me a while. Anyways, it's done now. :) The song for this chapter is Decode by Paramore, due to the fact that Prowl knows what he's feeling in his spark now. We're finally getting somewhere! :D**

**Thanks to **opalwolf12**,** the-asian-figet**,** Sasuke Zilverwing**,** Tavia99_,_ **,** LunarShadowAngel**,** Jazaline Coriana Lupas**,** **and **sunny's sister **for adding this story to their favs/follows list!**

Bee4ever**: Haha, yeah! And a good idea, whether intentional or not...**

Jazaline Coriana Lupas**: Yes, indeed indeed. The Dorito of Doom is a glitchhead for that.**

**Steller cycle= Another way to say orbital cycle**

* * *

Silvermoon groggily pulled herself out of stasis. Stretching her cables, she winced as a few tender ones sent pain messages to her processor. She glanced around and remembered that she was in the med bay, thanks to Starscream's punch last solar cycle.

Jolt, seeing she was online, hurried over. "How's everything feeling?" he asked. She ran a quick diagnostic on herself.

"Normal," she replied. Jolt nodded and scanned the monitor.

"You should be good to go. Come back if anything feels odd." He dismissed her with a wave of his servo.

She walked out into the hall and headed for Prowl's office. She passed Fireshower and saw him watching her. She turned her helm away, but her scanners indicated that he still had his optics glued to her. His gaze sent a shiver down her frame. She quickly turned the corner, eager to get away from the bot._ What's up with the mechs on this base?_ she wondered.

Reaching the door, she typed in the code. _Error,_ the keypad beeped. Her brow plates furrowed. The code had worked last solar cycle, why not now? The sound of pedes reached her audio receptors. Turning, her optics took in the form of Prowl, covered in energon. She raised an optic ridge.

"Did the dispenser backfire?" she asked, her tone indicating she found it funny.

"Haha. Very funny," he replied acidly. "No, it was the twins and another one of their attempts at pranking."

Silvermoon snorted. "Why did you change the code?" she asked, changing the topic.

"I change it at random intervals," he deadpanned, walking to the keypad and tapping his long fingers on it. The keypad gave a satisfied beep and the door slid open. "It keeps out unwanted visitors and 'cons." He moved into the room, the femme right behind him.

"I'm going to wash this off," Prowl said, indicating the energon that coated his frame. She nodded as he headed for his personal washrack. The desk in the center of the room caught Silvermoon's optic. It was still covered in data pads that had yet to be finished, just like it had for the past few solar cycles. She walked over to it and onlined one at random.

_Troops ordered to Iacon late in the orbital cycle of 6457,_ it read._ Two Autobot guards caught them in the act of forcing entrance on a door under surveillance by the Elite Guard. The mechs were later confirmed to be overcharged and of the Decepticon cause. Building's contents: classified._

She scanned over the rest of the pad, not understanding its importance. The mechs had been caught, so what was the fuss about? She set it down and chose another one.

_Energon amounts ready to deport: 45,005 cubes. Cities/towns under construction and in need of energon:... _The pad went on to list various cities and bots who needed energon and how many bots were at each location. Intrigued, Silvermoon sat down in Prowl's chair and kept reading. Accessing the data distribution program in her processor, she uploaded the data and figured out what cities were in need of the energon the most, and the amounts. She proceeded to fill out the pad. It took her the better part of three breems. No sooner than she had entered the last digit in, the door swung open again, making her jerk her helm up.

Jazz stood in the doorway. He walked into the room, letting it swing back, cutting them off from the rest of the base.

"I thought Prowl changed his code?" she asked suspiciously.

"He's neva been able ta keep meh outta here," Jazz said triumphantly. "I can crack any code ya give meh." Then he stopped and looked at her, looking deep in thought. "Why are ya in Prowler's chair? Where is tha' mech anyway?"

"I'm looking at this pad. And he's cleaning up from the twin's latest prank," she replied evenly, setting the pad down and standing up. Walking around to the front of the desk, she noticed Prowl walk into the room, small spots of cleaning solvent still stuck to his armor.

"What can I do for you, Jazz?" he asked. The saboteur didn't even flinch.

"Prime needs ya. Somethin' about the Twin Terror's latest prank," the TIC said without missing a beat.

"Why didn't he just comm. me?" Prowl asked, taking a seat in the chair Silvermoon had just abandoned.

"Ol' Megsy disconnected his comm. system las' solar cycle. Hatchet won't let 'im use it yet. I'm on mah way to search fo' the wreckers again, so I figured I would jus' stop by."

"I guess I could help with the search. Not like I've got anything else to do," Silvermoon suggested.

"Good idea," Prowl replied. "I will help when I have talked to Optimus." He dismissed Jazz with a wave of his servo. In an undertone, he told Silvermoon, "Comm. me if you see Mirage. I need a word with him." Silvermoon nodded and followed Jazz out of the office.

* * *

**.:Prowl, you're due for a checkup.:. -Ratchet**

Prowl started, not expecting the comm. _Slag, I forgot about that._ Sighing, he turned from his course back to his office to the med bay.

**.:I am on my way.:. -Prowl**

He opened up a new comm. link.

**.:Silvermoon, I will be a while. Ratchet has called me to the medical bay for a checkup.:. -Prowl.**

**.:Ok. Teletraan picked up something. Jazz and I are going to search a bit more, but he thinks we're close.:. -Silvermoon**

Prowl stifled a growl. _Jazz_ thought they were close, did he? _Jazz_ was searching with Silvermoon when _he_ should've been by her side. Slag Ratchet and his checkup. Struggling to keep his thoughts free of any tainting emotion, Prowl responded.

**.:Very well. I will comm. you when it is completed.:. -Prowl**

Silvermoon acknowledged him. Prowl felt some of her amusement form something the silver saboteur had said leak over the link before she closed it. The possessive feeling wrapped its way tighter into Prowl's spark.

He suppressed another growl. But it wasn't for the same thing. _Where am I getting these slagging emotions from? Why do I care if she's with Jazz? He wouldn't try to do anything._ But a seedling of doubt planted itself in his processor, and Prowl found himself thinking of several situations of what he would do if Jazz ever did try anything. More confused than ever, Prowl shook his helm and continued for the med bay.

* * *

Ratchet chucked his Wrench of Doom at Sideswipe's helm. The cherry red bot dodged to one side, grinning triumphantly. He looked up to smirk at the chartreuse medic, receiving a faceplate full of another wrench.

"OW, OW, OW! THAT FRAGGING HURT! _AND_ YOU RUINED MY PAINT!" Sideswipe howled, burying his dented faceplates into his servos and continuing to curse vehemently. Ratchet raised a brow plate. The frontliner probably had no idea how much he sounded like his twin right now. Retrieving the wrenches, he medibot examined the latest dent in the wall before turning.

"Now get out of my fragging med bay before I send you to the deepest part of the pit, after I find six different painful ways to turn you into slagging femme, glitchhead," Ratchet growled. The bot didn't need to be told twice. Without a backward glance, (which wouldn't have gained him anything, as his faceplates were still covered by his servos), Sideswipe took off into the hall, blindly running into several bots.

Subspacing the two wrenches, Ratchet went to his office and sat at his rather messy desk. A single data pad lay in the center, surrounded by various tools, empty energon cubes, and a sealed box of what Sideswipe had just brought in. Having scanned it, Ratchet was sure it contained a small explosive and several dead glitchmice, perfect ingredients that equaled a prank when added with a grumpy medic. He onlined the data pad and it greeted him with a list of bots who were due for a checkup. Prowl was on the top of the list, having blown off the last few.

**.:Prowl, you're due for a checkup.:. -Ratchet.**

**.:I am on my way.:. -Prowl**

Saying Ratchet was surprised would be the understatement of the stellar cycle. Prowl _never_ came in willingly, unless he'd put it off at least five times. He still had two more to reschedule. Shrugging it off, Ratchet returned to the bay to set up a berth for the SIC.

Half a breem later, Prowl stalked in, anger barely tinting his frame. But for Prowl, a little goes a long ways. Concerned now, Ratchet gestured to the berth and watched from the corner of his optic for any other signs of odd behavior.

"So," he stated, making the simple word promise severe offlining if Prowl had neglected maintaining his repair. "How have you been holding up?"

"Fine," Prowl deadpanned, his voice holding no emotion. With a visible amount of strain, Prowl forced himself to relax. Ratchet started by scanning, like any other checkup. Then he tested Prowl's frame and cables. The procedure went smoothly, under the end, when Ratchet asked if anything had been acting up. He thought he saw a flicker of confusion flit across the tactician's faceplates, but it was gone when he looked twice. His expression was neutral, but the medic could tell he was arguing with himself on something.

"Actually, yes. My spark has been acting rather... oddly, lately," Prowl admitted.

"Have you been engaging in any stressful or extreme activities, besides the war?" Ratchet asked.

"No."

Ratchet briefly scanned Prowl's chest plates and studied the results. His brow furrowed; the scan indicated nothing was wrong. "Do you mind if I examine it?"

"I guess not," Prowl said, reaching up to unlatch his chest plates. Ratchet studied the brilliant blue orb that had electricity coming off of it in arches when he reached too close. He checked for any bluffs or scratches that could cause Prowl discomfort. There were none. There was only other conclusion Ratchet could come to. Calibrating his scanner for specific findings, Ratchet had Prowl close his chest plates (Scanning a bare spark could be harmful) and swept him over in a scan once more.

The results made Ratchet stop venting for a nano-klik. He locked optics with Prowl and saw the SIC's were laced with concern. "Is it bad?" he questioned breathlessly.

"Not exactly _bad_," Ratchet replied, forcing himself to breathe. "More like, unexpected?"

Prowl gave him five nano-kliks before asking, "Well?"

"It appears that your spark... it's searching, no, it _found_ the spark it wants to be with."

_CLANK._

Ratchet sighed and adjusted Prowl into a laying position on the berth. Then he waited for the mech's processor to reboot. He didn't have to wait long. A klik after he crashed, Prowl jerked up, gasping. He took a moment to order his thoughts, then asked, "Who?"

Ratchet shrugged. "My scan won't show me that; it's up to you to figure that out." He stood and grabbed his tools, taking them to be put away.

"So am I good to go?"

Ratchet nodded. "Don't strain yourself," he ordered. Prowl nodded absently and made to move out the door. "Wait, one more thing." He handed Prowl a box. "Sideswipe gave this to me and I _know_ it was for a prank. Will you deal with it?"

"Yes." Prowl subspaced it and then left, Ratchet watching his retreating form, concerned for his state of mental heath.

* * *

Silvermoon vented as she walked along Jazz.

"Teletraan One says we're gettin' close," Jazz said, staring at a small scanner in his servo. The dark hallway hadn't been used in cycles, according to Perceptor, who had just left to go to his lab.

"Why would they be up here in no bot uses this way anymore?" Silvermoon asked.

Jazz shrugged. "Maybeh they were lookin' for somethin'." She didn't respond, choosing to keep walking. Suddenly, the scanner started beeping louder and faster than it had been for the past few breems. Jazz pointed to a door off to one side of the hall.

Silvermoon hooked a servo around the handle and slowly opened it. Jazz had his blaster ready and aimed it inside briefly. Nothing attacked, but he kept it out as he advanced inside, Silvermoon hot on his heels. The sight that greeted their optics were the three missing mechs tangled up in a pile on the floor. They each had signal dampeners and stasis-inducing gadgets hooked onto them.

Jazz quickly subspaced the scanner and crouched to pull them apart, with Silvermoon following his lead.

**.:Prowl, we've found them. Sending you the coordinates now.:. -Silvermoon**

**.:I will alert Ratchet and Optimus.:. -Prowl**

Her optics powered back up and saw Jazz finishing pulling the three apart. "I called the others," she said softly. Jazz nodded curtly and scanned them, much like Ratchet did to his patients.

"They're lo' on energon, but they won' be goin' offline, if ah can help it," he muttered. "Who the pit woul' _do_ this to 'em?"

"The traitor?" she suggested, still keeping her voice down.

"Eh, probably."

The sound of pedes on the metal floor announced the arrival of the other mechs. Optimus lead Prowl and Ratchet. The medic shoved his way up front and scanned the three immediately.

"They need energon and a few dents pounded out," he read from his report. "Whichever bot did this knocked 'em out and locked them in stasis."

"Would there be any way to retrace the attacker from their injuries?" Optimus asked. Ratchet shook his helm. "Alright, get them to the medical bay. I will contact Blaster and have him inform the other bots."

Optimus strode out of the room at a pace that said he had a purpose to complete, while Ratchet and Prowl stooped down to grab Leadfoot and Roadbuster. That left Topspin for Jazz and Silvermoon. The femme wrapped her servos around the mech's pedes while Jazz gripped under his arms. Then the strange procession headed for the med bay.

* * *

**Hopefully the next chapter won't take me as long, but, as always, I've got to space typing with family and school. :/ Thanks for reading!**


	9. Easier to Run

**A/N: And another chapter done! Didn't take me as long as the last one, thankfully. The song for this chapter is Easier to Run by Linkin Park. Thanks to ** **, **opalwolf12**, **Brooke Witwicky-TransformerFan**,** Kae88**, and **TheInheritance **for adding this story to their favs and/or alerts!**

Bee4ever**: Yep. And he won't realize it for a few more chapters! :p**

LunarShadowAngel**: Thanks! Here's what happens next!**

Kae88**: Yep, it was Starscream. Nah, Jolt won't whack you. And Prowl needed to glitch sometime. :p**

Jazaline Coriana Lupas**: Good. And that's very thoughtful of you, thanks.**

**Groon= Cybertronian hour**

* * *

"Will they be okay?" Silvermoon asked.

Ratchet nodded. "We've all been through through worse, they just need energon." Leadfoot, Topspin, and Roadbuster had just been hooked into IV lines and had their energon levels being replenished. Jazz and Prowl had departed for a meeting with Prime and the Elite Guard.

"Okay. See ya around."

Ratchet merely waved her away with one servo. She took her leave and went to Prowl's office once more. His data pads were interesting, and a way for her to get caught up on the recent events.

The first one to online was one that listed the bots who had recently gone offline or missing. She was soon absorbed in her task.

What seemed like a klik later, the door slid open and Prowl walked in. He stopped at the sight of her and asked, "What are you doing?"

She checked her internal clock and started, realizing several breems had gone by. She shrugged. "I was bored." Prowl walked over to the desk and picked up the pad that was glowing.

"This is just an article," he said, not seeing how it was interesting. She shrugged again.

"This one was," she replied, handing him the one she'd completed on energon rations. He onlined it and quickly scanned it.

"You completed it," he noted, astonished.

"So?"

"No bot else ever seems to want to help me with these, and you finished it without me even knowing," Prowl explained. "It is just not normal for around here." Studying it closer, he saw that she even had all of the calculations correct. Then again, he remembered she had an excellent numbers program, even if it was a bit outdated. He glanced at his desk, where the data pads were stacked up, waiting to be finished. Making up his mind, he asked, "Would you want to become my assistant for your position in the Autobot army?"

Her optics brightened at the proposition. She'd been wondering what she wanted to do for her job, and hearing this, she realized that was an excellent opportunity, plus she'd be close to her friend. "Sure."

Prowl nodded. "Good. I'll tell Prime, and you can start next solar cycle."

She smirked at that. "You don't have to be so formal, Prowler. And I technically already started."

He shuttered his optics for a nano-klik. "My designation is not Prowler. You are starting to sound like Jazz," he complained, commenting on the use of his hated nickname.

The smirk remained in place. "Where do you think I heard that name from?"

Prowl shook his helm in exasperation. A faint beeping noise reached his audio receptors, but he disregarded it. "So did Ratchet get the wreckers hooked up alright?"

"Yeah, he said they just needed some energon," she said, offhandedly. Her optics turned down to the desk. "Do you always have this many pads to do?"

"On a good day, I am lucky to have three quarters of this amount," he said darkly. "But it is part of being the Second, and I am used to it."

Silvermoon reached for another data pad, and Prowl intercepted her reach by wrapping a servo around her arm. She looked at him, confused. "It's late," he said gently. "You should probably retire to your quarters and recharge."

Anger laced her optics and she glared at him. "You're not my creator." Her look softened then. "But if you want some alone time, I'll leave."

Prowl pulled his servo back. "That's not what I meant. But you do not need to do anymore work this cycle." The beeping was a little louder, but it didn't compete for Prowl's attention like the twisting feelings he had rampaging through his spark.

Silvermoon withdrew her arm back to her side and stood up from Prowl's chair. She circled around to the front of the desk. "So what did they talk about at the meeting?"

"Finding the wreckers and then the war's latest complications," Prowl reeled off. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Just curious." She cocked her head to the side then. "What's that beeping?"

Prowl finally paid attention to the annoying repetitive noise. "I do not know, but it has been going on for a while." The box Ratchet had given him to investigate caught his optic then. It was sitting on the corner of his desk, looking too innocent. "...Slag." He moved suddenly, putting his frame between Silvermoon and the box. He was not a moment too soon, either.

_**BOOM.**_

The explosion was small, but noisy. Small pieces of wet metal rained down on Prowl, who had Silvermoon covered. Scans told him it was glitch-mouse fragments. After a nano-klik, everything had settled down and he knew nothing else was going to fall onto them, so he let Silvermoon go.

Her wide optics took in the sight of Prowl's office. Glitch-mouse pieces were everywhere. On the desk, on the floor, in front of the door, and on Prowl. Seeing her friend covered in them made Silvermoon suppress a snort. His look of disgust made it that much harder to contain her laughter. He tried to brush off a piece on his arm. It moved a few inches, leaving a trail of goopy energon. That did it. Silvermoon started giggling. Despite the situation, Prowl smiled at hearing her laughter. It was contagious. If your best friend laughs, you will too. It was the same for Prowl.

"I'm going to go wash off... _again_," he said. She nodded, still chuckling. He swept out to his washrack, leaving Silvermoon alone in his office again.

* * *

Prowl scowled as he scrubbed at his armor, hot solvent streaming down his frame. Glitch-mouse pieces were _everywhere_ on him. Sideswipe was going to be in a pit-load of slag once Prowl got a hold of the mech. The steam from the solvent rose up to ceiling in lazy wisps, taking the smell of offline glitch-mouse with it. While he was in the washrack, it gave him time to think about what Ratchet had said. Why had his spark received its calling _now_ of all times? And just who did it choose? He thought about all of the femmes he knew and his reactions while he was around them. Obviously it wasn't Chromia, so that eliminated one possibility. Arcee he was just his normal, emotionless self. Flare-up he wasn't around much.

Then he went over some mechs. Bumblebee? No. Jazz just annoyed him. Optimus or Ultra Magnus? Slag, _no._ The Twin Terrors? He'd offline himself before that would happen. He remained occupied with his task while he was in the washrack, oblivious to the one possibility that he'd forgotten and was the correct one.

Prowl turned off the stream of solvent a few breems later. Stepping under the hot air that blew down from the ceiling, he let his armor get blown dry. Satisfied that no glitch-mouse remained, he returned to his office, only to find Silvermoon sitting in his chair once again. She was slumped over, helm resting on his desk. Her optics were offline, and she was soundly in recharge, offline to the world. He couldn't but smile at that.

He scooped her up and carried her bridal style to his berth. Too many awkward questions would be asked if he took her to her room. It was across the base. Setting her down, he went back to his desk to recharge. _Besides_, he thought, _it's not like I'm not used to recharging there._

* * *

Silvermoon woke the next cycle in an unfamiliar berth. The mark that was pressed into the berth* was a wider frame than she had, and it had marks that felt like doorwings always rested there. She onlined her optics and glanced around. The ceiling was the same as the one in her room, but the room's layout was different. She sat up and caught sight of the desk in the corner, with Prowl slumped over it.

_Oh yeah, I fell into recharge here last cycle,_ she remembered. She stood up and checked the time. It was about the time she normally woke up. Heading over to the desk, she debated on rousing Prowl. Before she could make up her mind, she received a comm.

**.:Hey, Silvamoo'. Ya busy?:. -Jazz**

**.:No. What do you need?:. -Silvermoon**

**.:Prime wants meh ta go on patrol, but everybot else is busy. Ya wanna come with meh?:. -Jazz**

She looked at Prowl again and thought for a second. Making up her mind, she pivoted on her heel and strode towards the door. **.:Sure. I'm on my way. Meet you in the rec room?:. -Silvermoon**

**.:Yep.:. -Jazz**

He broke the connection and she made her way to the meeting spot. Jazz was waiting outside the rec room when she got there. "Goo'. Yeh're here," he said, catching sight of her. "We're makin' rounds through Iacon today." He transformed into a silver Cybertronian racer and revved his souped up engine. She followed suite and turned into a navy blue and silver street car, old-fashioned, but slick. They both peeled out of the base, darting around other bots.

She heard Jazz whoop with the joy of racing around. She slid around a startled looking Skids and laughed, feeling the air race over her aerodynamic form. Reaching the edge of the base, Fireshower stood between the two and the exit. Jazz went to the left, so Silvermoon took the right. Unnoticed by the silver mech, the burnt-orange bot inched his pede out and clipped the edge of Silvermoon's tire, making her spin out and narrowly miss the wall. She transformed, as her alternate mode slowed spinning. She leaned against the wall, laughing.

"Ooh, spinning was a bad idea," she said, venting and laughing as Jazz slammed on the brakes and transformed next to her.

"You alright?" he asked, still grinning. She nodded, clutching at her churning tanks. After a moment, she steadied herself and pushed away from the wall. Jazz lead the way out, pointedly ignoring Fireshower. There was a short hike over barren metal ground and then they reached the outskirts of Iacon.

"Has 'con activity been increasing lately?" she asked. He nodded, his mood going downhill a bit from thinking about it.

"Normally Prime has us goin' out on patrols in pairs, bu' ah was scheduled for a single patrol. So ah asked ya if ya wanted ta come," he explained.

"That makes sense," she noted. "That racing was fun. Do you guys have competitions?"

Jazz shook his helm forlornly. "Ah wish. Bu' no bot has asked, besides meh. So Prime hasn't considered it."

They had gotten farther into the city, if the amassing bots were anything to judge by. Silvermoon gazed at shopfronts and tents stocked with goods. "So what am I looking for?"

"Any suspicious activity. Or anything that migh' relate to the 'cons."

"And how long are you scheduled for?"

"A groon. Then we'll switch wit' somebot else."

"Okay." She recalibrated her scanners to pick up signals that seemed like they were trying to hide and started examining passing bots closely. Nothing was brought to either bots' attention until most of the scheduled groon had gone past.

They were circling around Iacon to finish the patrol at the base when a crowd and commotion drew their attention. Two dozen bots formed a semi-circle around a brawl between three bots. Two had the purple decepticon insignia embedded on their shoulders. The other bot was winged and easily larger than both his attackers combined, but he received blow after blow while returning none of the force thrown at him.

"I told you," Silvermoon heard the winged bot say, "I will not tell you the information, and I will not fight."

"Then we'll just have to offline you, won't we?" one of the 'cons sneered. He unspaced a plasma rifle, while his comrade morphed a servo into a souped up blaster. They both took aim at the one refusing to fight.

"Tha's Skyfire," Jazz gasped. "C'mon!" And with that he jumped into the fight.

* * *

***I'm imagining their berths are the metal version of memory foam, so that would explain Prowl's imprint on his berth.**

**For Jazz's alt form, I'm mkaing him have his War for Cybertron alternate form. Silvermoon has something along the lines of a navy blue and silver Lamborghini Ferruccio Concept. I'm thinking that would be old-fashioned in Cyberttronian standards.**

**Skyfire has been brought in now! And I'm just going to adopt his personality from the G1 series and make him not a fighter. Thanks for reading!**


	10. Kill EVERYBODY

**A/N:****And we're in the double digits now! Yay! Thanks to **ninja-of-twilight **and **ShadowRhythm **for adding this to their alerts! The song for this chapter is Kill EVERYBODY by Skrillex. (Or in this case, Kill Decepticons. :p)**

Bee4ever: **Yep. But to him, it's not logical, so he doesn't get it. :P**

**Bond speak**

* * *

Prowl groggily onlined his optics, knowing in the back of his processor that he had recharged too long. His frame was stiff from leaning over the desk. He stretched the cables in his back, standing up. Then his scanners alerted him of a problem. He was the only one in the room. There had been another bot in the room last cycle. His optics traveled to his berth to see Silvermoon gone. Knowing she had probably left with a good cause, he opened a comm. link to her.

**.:Silvermoon, where are you?:. -Prowl**

A klik went by and he got no response.

**.:Silvermoon?:. -Prowl**

The only thing that replied was a slight static-y noise. Forcing himself not to panic, he strode to the door, checking on the keypad next to it what time it had last been opened. The pad read that the door had last been opened a little under a groon ago.

Prowl considered other ways he could contact her. Then it hit him; the friendship bond.

_Duh,_ he thought, tracing over the thin connection to the femme. No presence was there to greet him this time; it seemed as though she was otherwise occupied. Basic commands floated through her mind in front of Prowl, clear enough for him to read them. Emotion also tinged the area around him. _Panic. Anger. Fight._

He started, not expecting her to be feeling that. A thought bubbled past him, showing him that she had just struck a bot who held a plasma rifle. Ducking under a punch from a second bot, he caught a glimpse of Jazz for a nano-klik. Said bot roundhouse kicked the second enemy out of her view. Then the though drifted away.

Relief coursed through Prowl momentarily, knowing she was with Jazz. A sudden blow caused a jolt of strong pain to overtake all other thoughts for a klik. Prowl panicked then. Where was she and why was she fighting?

Some of his panic leaked into Silvermoon's conscious, and her mind expelled his presence, treating him as a foreign contaminant, since it was otherwise occupied to recognize him. He onlined his optics, his room coming into focus. He had one goal in mind; finding Silvermoon. Striding to the communications room, he sent a comm to Blaster to know he was coming.

* * *

Silvermoon punched the green mech holding the plasma rifle. He reeled back, holding his arm, then retaliated with a punch of his own. She ducked under it. Jazz kicked the yellow decepticon impressively and sent him soaring away. The TIC charged after him. Her attention snapped back to her own fight when a high pitched click announced that the rifle was loaded and ready to fire. She jumped to one side and avoided a round, only to catch another in her abdomen. She doubled over in pain, wrapping her arms around her tanks.

Panic that wasn't her own filtered through her mind. Her central processors expelled the presence before she could figure out who it was, giving her a chance to refocus on the battle.

She straightened up in time to avoid another blow, changing a servo into her blade. She swung blindly and struck the rifle, severing several vital wires and rendering it useless. Her opponent howled at the loss of his weapon and furiously lashed out. He smacked the edge of her blade and cut himself, making himself all the angrier. He turned into a rampaging tornado, striking her with no regard for his own safety. She received blow after blow, denting her armor and tearing it in several places. Energon leaked over her armor, warming it. Realizing her blade had lowered, she raised her blade to deflect a blow.

It caught a fist dead center, slicing easily through. His optics widened, staring at his servo. She took his distraction to her benefit, striking at his neck.

She hit his vocal cords. His mouthplates opened, but no sound came out. The mech then kicked out at her. His pede connected with her hip. She forced herself to not squeal in pain and punched him in the abdomen. He glared at her furiously, pulling out a standard-issue blaster from subspace. He never got the chance to fire it, as Jazz rammed into him suddenly, slamming him into a wall and knocking him unconscious.

Having no bot else to challenge, the adrenaline in her veins slowed. She sunk to one knee, digging her blade into the ground to balance herself. The pain from the gunshot wracked her frame, almost causing her to lose control. She willed herself to not scream, feeling Jazz's servos around her waist, helping her stand. Her blade turned back into her servo, which trailed over her frame to cover the wound. Glowing blue energon leaked between her fingers.

She heard the bot designated Skyfire shooing the onlookers away above her, but she paid little attention to it. Jazz tentatively drew his servos away, seeing in she needed support.

"Are ya alright?" he asked, concerned. She nodded shakily, unable to bring herself to speak. "Ya should get tha' checked out by Ratchet." His optics trailed down to the wound. Prying away her servo, he studied it briefly. "Ah ain't no medic, bu' it looks deep. Ya need to get back _now_. Can ya transform?"

She said nothing, but activated the transformation cog, turning back into her street car. Energon leaked from a spot on the roof, it being where the shot had hit. Jazz spoke to Skyfire, but she didn't bother to listen. After a moment, he transformed next to her, and Skyfire turned into a gargantuan transport plane above them. Jazz lead the way to the base, setting the pace so it was easy on Silvermoon. Trembles shook her entire frame several times. Halfway back to base, she felt a tug on the end of her friendship bond. Setting her wheels to follow Jazz, she focused her attention on the bond.

Prowl was on the other end, and he could feel her exhaustion and pain through the bond. She felt astonishment flow from him. **What in the pit happened?!** He asked. Rather than speak, she sent several images and thoughts from the fight to him. Feeling him examining them, she could sense anger and worry coming from him as he looked them over. **I'll be waiting for you at the entrance of the base.** He told her, hinting at an unspoken order for her to meet him there. He withdrew from her mind enough that she didn't have his presence in her mind, but she could still feel him and his general emotions. He lent her support to keep her going without swerving after Jazz.

Wondering why she was in so much pain, Silvermoon checked her HUD. It was only a gunshot wound, so why did it hurt so much?

**HUD onlining.**

**Leg Joint: Cracked. Seek medical assistance.**

**Protoform: Punctured by gunshot. Seek medical assistance.**

**Energon Reserves: 54%**

**Pain Receptors: Overworking. Offline? **

**Yes. Pain Receptors offlining.**

She shoved the HUD to one side and focused on following Jazz. Relief from not having her pain receptors online coursed through her, giving her one less thing to worry about. The worry was replaced with worry for her frame. The round had punctured her protoform, which meant it most likely hit something vital. It also meant she was losing energon at a steady rate.

Her mood rose a bit when they neared the base. She could already see the masculine frame of Prowl by the gate. Jazz halted a few feet from where Prowl was standing and transformed. Silvermoon followed suit, immediately falling to the ground as the pain receptors came back online. Prowl caught her before she hit. He noticed her servos go to her tank immediately and supported her better, allowing her to lean on him without irritating her wound.

"Let's get you to Ratchet," he said gently. She merely nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

* * *

Jazz transformed and turned to the injured femme. She also morphed back into bipedal mode and keeled over the instant she had finished. Prowl caught her and her servos went to her tanks. Her face was set in a grimace. Prowl started walking for the med bay, supporting the limp femme in his arms. The silver saboteur decided to follow them. Prowl voiced no complaint.

**.:What happened out there?:. -Prowl**

Jazz didn't jump at the comm. He glanced over at Prowl, who had his optics glued to the direction they were headed.

**.:Ah let 'er come on patrol wit' meh. We were on our way back an' some decepticreeps decided ta show their ugly faceplates. Skyfire refused ta fight 'em, so Silvamoo' an' Ah backed 'im up.:. -Jazz**

The TIC didn't expect a response to that, and he didn't get one. His superior just kept walking, and Jazz trailed behind the two by a few feet. He remained quiet, but studied their body language. Silvermoon was obviously weak from the fight, not having the strength to walk on her own. Prowl looked like he more relaxed than normal, despite being tense with anxiety for his friend's condition. Jazz didn't know what this meant, but he did know that something was between the two. He shrugged it off, labeling it as him being relaxed around his old friend, and forgot about it.

Then he turned his thoughts to Silvermoon's condition. He winced at the thought of her wound. It was worse than he'd originally thought, if she couldn't even support herself. They reached the med bay and Jazz argued with himself about going in or just leaving for the rec room. Eventually he decided on seeing if she was okay, considering he was the reason she got hurt in the first place.

Ratchet's expression was a mix of fury and promising offlining when he laid optics on Silvermoon. Jazz took a reflective step back, preparing to dodge a wrench if necessary.

"What the pit did you do to yourself now, femme?!" he hollered. She winced at his tone, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. Prowl helped her to a medical berth and she sat down.

"It was mah fault," Jazz said, making Ratchet look at him briefly before scanning Silvermoon. "Ah let 'er go on patrol wit' meh. She got shot there by a plasma rifle." He gestured to her tank.

Ratchet's brow plates furrowed. "The bullet punctured her protoform. But the round didn't come back out. It seems to be... spreading," he read off his scan.

"Spreading?" Prowl asked. "How?"

Ratchet turned the hologram of the area he'd scanned on Silvermoon so the two mechs could see it. He pointed to an area on it. "This is where the bullet entered her protoform." An area of the hologram was lighter than the rest. "That is where the round spread to after it melted. My guess would be that it was an acid round."

"An acid plasma rifle. Crazy," Jazz breathed. He glanced at Prowl and saw the SIC's faceplates had gone a bit paler than normal.

"They're getting desperate enough to resort to acid rounds," Prowl muttered. Jazz returned his attention to the medic, and found Ratchet poking around underneath Silvermoon's armor.

"I'm gonna have to operate. This sedative will put you into stasis," he told her, injecting the liquid into an energon line. Almost immediately, she fell offline. "And as for you two," he gestured to the SIC and TIC. "Out."

Jazz turned and left the med bay. Prowl showed signs of wanting to argue, but left at the sight of Ratchet's wrench. The saboteur headed for the rec room.

"One moment, Jazz," Prowl said. Said mech halted and turned, seeing the expressionless bot's face. "I need a word with you." Wearily, the silver mech followed the police bot to his office. Prowl took a seat in his chair and faced Jazz.

"Honestly, Prowler," Jazz started. "If ah had known she woulda gotten hur', ah-"

"That's not what I'm talking to you about," Prowl cut him off. Jazz fell silent, wondering why Prowl had called him. "No, I need to know; what's this I hear about you racing down the hallway in your vehicle mode?"

Jazz grinned after a nano-klik of hesitation.

* * *

**Phew, something to lighten the mood. 'Course Prowl doesn't like bots racing down the hall, its 'illogical'. -.-' Oh Prowl, you're so uptight! :p**

**Can anyone guess how he'll figure out who his sparkmate is? You'll definitely know how he will in the next chapter!**


	11. Give me a Sign

**A/N: Wow, that took longer than expected. My muse for this story was hiding from me. :/ The song for this chapter really only fits with the title. Well, I guess you could incorporate Silvermoon's breakdown. :3 It's Give me a Sign by Breaking Benjamin.**

Kae88**: Haha, good ideas, but no. That would be funny to see her beating him with a data pad, but remember: she doesn't even realize it yet.**

Bee4ever**: Thanks! And you figure it out in time.**

Jazaline Coriana Lupus**: Good guess, but no. **

**Orn= Cybertronian week for this story**

**Groon= Cybertronian hour**

* * *

Silvermoon dodged a blast from Ironhide's cannons and her venting hitched as she remembered the fight an orn ago. She forced herself to focus on training and put the thought out of her processor. She placed a nicely aimed kick on Ironhide's leg armor, making him grunt unhappily. They continued in this manner for another few kliks before Ironhide said, "Enough. We're done for today."

The femme nodded and returned her training blaster. "Am I getting good enough to keep away a few 'cons?"

"You're not there quite yet. But you've improved a lot," he replied.

"Thanks," she said, leaving the training arena right as the Twin Terrors strutted in. She could almost feel Ironhide's anticipation to fire a few rounds at them. Chuckling, she headed to Prowl's office, where she'd been for most of the past orn. With her help, Prowl didn't lack as much recharge as he used to. The door slid open to reveal an empty office.

She frowned; this was his normal time to be working on data pads, and Prowl wasn't one to stray from his schedule. He was even like that as a youngling. She opened up a comm. link to him.

**.:Prowl? Where are you?:. -Silvermoon**

**.:Silvermoon... Help... in brig...:. -Prowl**

His voice was faint, and even through the comm. link, she could tell he was in pain.

**.:Hold on Prowl. I'll be there in an nano-klik. Don't you dare go offline on me.:. -Silvermoon**

She hurried back out of the office and sprinted down the hall. She sent an emergency comm. to Ratchet and didn't bother to reply to his questions. The walls blended together as she kept moving. At the right doorway, she flung the door open and raced down the stairs, taking them several at a time.

The brig was dimly lit. The meager light that did filter in revealed several empty cells. It also showed Prowl's shaking frame, which supported a hole in his armor that went down past the protoform. She could see his spark pulsing weakly through the tangled and charred armor. Energon covered the floor around him, staining it a glowing blue. He looked up at her weakly, before his optics went offline.

"Oh my Primus," she gasped, kneeling down next to him. She tried lifting him, but he was too heavy. The slapping of pedes on the metal floor reached her audios. She morphed her servos to blasters and adopted a defensive stance over Prowl's frame. Ratchet turned the corner, and she quickly aimed them elsewhere. The medic chose to not comment and gasped at the sight of the SIC. He dropped his medical box and scanned the offline bot.

"Slag, he's taken damage to his spark chamber. He need to be hooked up. Now," Ratchet said. He subspaced his medical box and stooped down to lift Prowl up. Silvermoon regained her servos and helped Ratchet, hoisting him up so that she held him similarly to when she'd helped carry the wreckers. Prowl was heavier than the wreckers had been, so she had a difficult time trying to keep up with the CMO. Thankfully, Jolt met them halfway to the med bay and took over for Silvermoon.

She rolled her shoulders, getting the feeling back into them. Then she shooed away the onlookers that had formed around the three mechs. Catching up to her friend, she proceeded to fend off the bots that they came across on their way back. She held open the med bay doors and waited for them to carry Prowl through before closing and latching them securely.

Turning, Silvermoon saw Prowl's form hefted up onto a medical berth. Ratchet hurriedly hooked up various tubes before transforming a servo into a welder and patching the main energon lines. Jolt's optics dimmed momentarily, then lit back up and he hooked Prowl up to an IV line and Energon started flowing from another place to a storage bag, waiting to be discharged into Prowl's tubes.

"I've commed Prime and he's on his way," Jolt murmured quietly, getting a nod from Ratchet in return. Silvermoon walked over to the pair, treading carefully.

"What can I do to help?" she asked softly.

"Nothing," Ratchet responded gruffly, not bothering to look up from his work. "Wait for Optimus; you're not a medic, so there's not much you can do right now." She nodded, even though Ratchet couldn't see it, and retreated to wait by the door. She didn't have to wait long.

A breem later, Optimus Prime strode in, looking regal as ever, even when worry laced his stride. His optics fell on Prowl and he said, "Ratchet, what is going on here?"

His deep voice echoed through the room, and it would have caused any other mech to feel like bowing to the speaker. However, Ratchet was the one being addressed, and he merely waved a servo in Optimus' direction and said, "Ask the femme, I'm busy." Despite the situation, the leader had a shadow of a smirk play across his faceplates. It faded just as fast and he turned to Silvermoon.

"I went to his office and he wasn't there. I commed him and he told me he was in the brig. I got there and found him like that," she gestured to him. His optics flitted to the mentioned bot and back. "How are we gonna find out who did this to him?"

"As of this moment, I do not know. In time, a course of action may present itself to us," the leader said. Silence fell after that, broken a few moments later by Ratchet's grunt that said he had finished with the main energon lines. Moving to the others lines, he motioned for Jolt to start the energon drip. The machine next to the IV stand started beeping with Prowl's sparkbeat.

**.: Wha's goin' on? Prime won' ansa meh.:. -Jazz**

Silvermoon jumped slightly at the sudden comm. Optimus noticed, but didn't comment, seeing her optics go dim.

**.:Prowl was attacked by somebot. We're in the med bay right now.:. -Silvermoon**

**.:Ah. I gotta talk to 'im. I'm on mah way.:. -Jazz**

He cut the transmission and Silvermoon refocused in time to hear Ratchet speaking.

"...finished. He should be fine in a few solar cycles after he rests."

Optimus nodded. "When he reawakens, tell him I have ordered him to not be on duty until further notice."

Ratchet gave a single nod. "Who's gonna take over his work for him then?"

Silvermoon took a step forward. "I will. I'm his assistant, after all." Ratchet looked her over, then turned back to Prowl.

"That will be fine," Optimus replied. Then the doors swung open again, revealing Jazz. Ratchet glared at him. The TIC strode over to Optimus, pointedly ignoring the CMO.

"Optimus. Ah went out to the ships an' saw one sparkin'. Somebot messed wit' 'em again," Jazz announced. Optimus sighed, rubbing his faceplates with a servo.

"I will come look at them with you. Silvermoon, accompany us and write a report on the damage," Prime ordered. She nodded and followed them out of the room, pausing only to throw a glance back at Prowl.

* * *

A knock rang out from the door and echoed through the room. Silvermoon glanced up wearily from a data pad. "Come in," she called, her voice betraying how tired she was. She had taken over Prowl's job without realizing how much work he actually had to do. Between meetings, settling numerous disputes between civilians and soldiers, doing what Optimus didn't have time for, and working on the never-ending stream of data pads, she hadn't gotten much recharge in in the last few lunar cycles.

The latest data pad required tactical reasoning, something Silvermoon wasn't very good at. She had trained for medical help, not reasoning. That, combined with the lack of recharging and refueling, was enough to set anybot's nerves on edge.

The door opened and revealed Cliffjumper, bearing a box overflowing with data pads that needed to be completed. He strode in and set it on the desk that groaned under the extra weight. "There's a report in there Prime needs next solar cycle. Ratchet sent a supply order to be checked over and the Elite Guard sent a list of the newest bots who applied for the open soldier positions for you to do background checks on," he rattled off.

Silvermoon sighed, her processor overflowing with routes for the shuttles, making her tone come out more impatient than she meant to be. "Gee, thanks."

He looked at her. "You don't have to speak to me like that," he said.

"Well I'm sorry," she snapped, dropping the pad on the desk with a clang. "I'd like to see you try to do all this work and not snap. I haven't been doing this for the past vorns. I'm not Prowl!" Deciding she needed a break, she got up, went past the surprised Cliffjumper, and stalked out of the office. She headed for the rec room to get a cube of mid-grade.

Reaching the door, the sound of pedes behind her made her pause. She turned to see the orange frame of Fireshower. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the newest SIC of the Autobots," he said snarkily. "I've been meaning to ask; why did they choose you for the job if you obviously aren't trained? There are way better choices among the ranks." His tone suggested he though that he was a better choice.

Conflicting emotions made angry tears threaten to fall from her optics. She shoved past him and headed for the exit, forgetting about her need for energon at the moment. Morphing to her street car mode, she sped off, leaving Fireshower smirking behind her.

Jazz stretched his arms as he left the meeting room. He'd been listening to Ultra Magnus argue with an Elite Guard Spokesbot for the past groon. He paused as the sound of a powerful engine hit his audios. He instinctively took a step back, just in time. A silver and blue street car sped by. He recognized it as Silvermoon. And judging by the way her frame was shaking, she didn't feel too happy.

He morphed down into his alternate form and followed her, getting an odd sense of déjà vu of the last time they had raced through the halls.

Outside the base, he watched her turn and race for the cliff that was close by. He himself had gone there a few times before to be alone and listen to his music. She approached the edge and slammed on the brakes, transforming. Jazz stayed a ways behind, not knowing if she knew he was there yet. He saw her sit down and pulls her knees up to her chest plates, sobs wracking her entire frame.

He waited for a breem, then decided he had had enough. He transformed up and slowly approached her. "'Ey, Silvamoo', wha's wrong?" he asked softly. She jumped, making him know she hadn't realized he was there.

"I'm not Prowl," she muttered, looking back down. "Fireshower's right, I'm not cut out for this job."

Jazz knelt down, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Who cares wha' that slaggah thinks? 'E doesn't know ya, Silvamoo'."

She shrugged, her helm still buried between her legs.

"Come on, look at meh," he said, pulling her chin up with a servo. Her bright blue optics shone with energon tears, making her all the more lovelier in his opinion. "Fiahshowah's a fraggah who doesn't have any idea wha' 'e's talkin' about, alright? Tha's why 'e's jus' a soldier and not ah officer like us."

That got her to smile, and Jazz felt warmth flow through his spark. "Thanks, Jazz," she said.

"No problem. Now, let's get ya some o' that high grade Ah saw Sides sneak in," he said, helping her back to her pedes.

* * *

**And, is it obvious how Prowl will figure out his sparkmate is Silvermoon now? Looking back, it doesn't seem like it yet, even to me. Oh well, I mentioned it briefly. :)**

**Oh, and I see my muse running away now. Excuse me while I go chase it down. :3**


	12. Unbreakable

**Author's Note: Yay! I got this one done! Title is Unbreakable by Fireflight. It's 'cuz Silvermoon gets over Fireshower's rudeness. Thanks to **lunatarimoon, Blizzardstorm, Urania Lycoris, Lazerrider, **and **Autobot-Blur 221 **for adding this story to their favs and/or alerts!**

LunarShadowAngel**: Yes Jazz does. It's what makes Prowl realize, as you say, that he has to get a move on. :D And thanks!**

Bee4ever**: You've realized how Silvermoon finds out Prowl's her sparkmate! Yeah, she'll figure it out... after... a, um... scenerio with... Jazz? :3 Oh, and I don't have a muse trap, unfortunately. I need one sometimes. I'd suggest a Transformers movie/cartoon marathon, though. That sometimes helps! :D**

Kae88**: Again, you guessed an important idea, but you got it backwards. :p Oh well, it's still important. Thanks, thanks, and Here here here. Here here here! XD**

**Disclaimer: I haven't said this in a while, but I only own my OC and the plotline. Transformers belongs to Hasbro.**

* * *

Silvermoon onlined her optics and felt the residue from the energon tears last solar cycle. Sitting up, a processor ache suddenly attacked her viciously. Holding onto her helm, she fell back onto Prowl's berth with a groan.

_Slaggin' high grade, _she thought. Wiping away the energon residue with one servo and pressing against her helm with the other, she got up and staggered across the room, heading for his storage cupboards. She opened the door and rummaged around, trying to see if he had any medicine to cure processor aches. At the very back she found a small bottle with dust layered on it, showing how often he used it. She popped it open and swallowed the enhanced energon capsule, counting to five in her head. Reaching five, her processor ache slowly dulled, reducing to a minor background problem. She pushed the bottle back in and turned back to the room.

Her optics fell on a pile of data pads she had yet to complete that were next to Prowl's berth. She sighed, knowing she should've gotten those done last solar cycle. She remembered moving to his berth to lie down and work on them, but halfway through the second one, she fell into recharge. Blaming it on the berth for being too comfortable, she picked up the pile and returned it to the desk. She sat down and turned on the pad from last night, intending to finish it before she went to get her morning energon.

Silvermoon got partway through before she received a comm.

**.:Heya Silvamoo'.:. -Jazz**

**.:Good solar cycle. What's up?:. -Silvermoon**

**.:Are ya recovered from las' sola' cycle?:. -Jazz**

**.:Mostly, why?:. -Silvermoon**

**.:Do ya wanna go inta Iacon wit' meh and go ta the market or somethin'? Ah need a break from all a' this TIC stuff.:. -Jazz**

**.:Sure, a break sounds good about now. Do you wanna meet in a groon at the entrance?:. -Silvermoon.**

**.:Perfect. See ya then.:. -Jazz**

**.:See ya.:. -Silvermoon**

She cut the connection and grinned. Finally, something to look forward to. She refocused on the data pad.

Half a groon later, she set the finished pad down and stretched her sore arms. Standing, she strode to the door, making sure it shut before she left. Silvermoon went to the rec room for a cube of mid. grade energon, sidestepping Bumblebee, who was halfway painted purple and had a look of terror in his optics. Noticing the Twin Terrors chasing him with paint brushes, she didn't even bother to ask.

The only bots in the rec room were Hot Rod and a 'bot named Blades she had recently become acquaintanced with. Neither spoke to her, but she could see the two mechs exchanged glances out of the corner of her optic. Ignoring them, she grabbed a cube from the dispenser and left. Knowing she still had a groon and a half to kill, Silvermoon directed her pedes to the med bay, intending to check in on Prowl.

Pushing the door open quietly, she went swiftly to Prowl's side. Ratchet was nowhere to be seen, and the SIC was the only patient in the room. The spark monitor next to him displayed that his spark was pulsing normally now, but his optics remained dark, showing no other signs of life. She gazed at him for a few kliks, studying his frame.

He'd filled out a lot from the Academy days. His paint scheme was relatively the same, just missing the gray he'd had then. And his chevron had gone from a dull red to gleaming.

Realizing the friendship bond had opened without her knowing, she traveled down it. Random thought bubbled past her presence ans she scanned them as the passed. One depicted a solar cycle they had been in class that she remembered quite well. As she thought about it, her mind pulled back out of his.

***FLASHBACK***

She studied the data pad that was on the desk in front of her, not bothering to remember any of it. Glancing out of the corner of her optics, Silvermoon watched Prowl flick little pieces of chipped metal from the ground outside at Sentinel Prime, who was supposed to be teaching them on the meanings to be an Autobot. He was ignoring them in favor of propping his pedes up and bobbing his helm to some tune playing into his audios. The whole class, which consisted of ten other mechs and two more femmes, were watching Prowl sneakily.

Occasionally, Sentinel would flinch and brush of a piece, thinking it was just a cyber-fly, but he never bothered to online his optics and check. After a klik of the metal, Prowl unspaced a glitch-mouse. Silvermoon clamped a servo over her mouthplates to stifle her laugh. She had no clue where he had gotten the creature, but Sentinel would _freak._ She watched Prowl lift it up and aim, the creature flailing about pointlessly. He hesitated for a nano-klik, then left it fly.

It landed with a solid _thump_, right over Sentinel's tanks. Knowing this was too heavy to be a cyber-fly, their mentor's optics onlined and he gazed groggily at the creature on his tanks. He shuttered them, making sure his processor wasn't playing tricks on him, then unshuttered them. Seeing it still there, the red 'bot gave a femme-like shriek, stood up so quick his desk was shoved a few feet out and the glitch-mouse was thrown to the floor, and ran from the room, screaming the whole time like a femme. The entire class burst out laughing. It was later said that the students in other classes could hear Sentinel from all the way down the hall.

***END FLASHBACK***

Silvermoon's optics onlined, immediately going back to the still form of her best friend. She sighed, the small smile that had formed on her faceplates fading. Checking her internal clock, she realized she had been there for almost a half-groon. She stood to leave and caught another form in the corner of her optic. Turning, Ratchet's frame was brought into view. He was standing at a table, working on some broken tool. Hearing her, he turned and saw her standing.

"Leaving? You've been here a while."

"Yeah, just... thinking," Silvermoon gestured to Prowl.

"Must be a hard job for you to be that still for half a groon," he commented, casting his optics downwards to the tool and polishing cloth he held. She shrugged.

"Well, I have to go meet Jazz. See ya around, Ratchet."

"Good solar cycle." He turned back to the table and she left.

* * *

"Hmm, what's that vendor got for sale?" Silvermoon asked, turning to see the table filled with colorful objects. The 'bots had wandered to the marketplace, having no real plans for the solar cycle. The vendor had his attention on another customer across the table. Few vendors had customers at their booths. According to Jazz, sales had gone down because of the war.

"Ooh, this is a favorite of mahn," Jazz said, following her. "'E's go' tha best paint fo' ya armah. I got mah blue 'ere." He gestured to his arm, where the blue crossed the white and shone in the sunlight. Silvermoon studied the different shades and colors the mech had on display. A deep purple caught her optic. It was labeled "Violent Violet" and cost 30 credits. Feeling Jazz look at it over her shoulder, he murmured "It's ah bit pricey, but 'e's got tha bes' in paints."

Silvermoon glanced down at her frame, which had been navy blue and silver for as long as she could remember. She loved the color combo, but wondered if a purple tint in some places would be a nice change. Deciding to treat herself, she caught the vendor's attention and he strode over.

"Can I help you with something?" the mech asked.

"I want to get this," she replied. Reaching into subspace, she attempted to grab the necessary credits, but Jazz beat her to it, handing over his own credits.

"Many thanks," the vendor said, turning away. Jazz grinned at her and walked off, making her hurry to catch up.

"You didn't have to do that," she told him. "I can buy my own paint."

"Nah, consider it ah present from meh."

She once again tried to grab the credits, only to have her servo close on air. Frowning, she said, "Slag. I guess I left my credits at the base."

He grinned at her again. "See? Ah guess it's a goo' thing' Ah paid fo' it. Ooh, look! Decals!" He took off, and Silvermoon shook he head at his childish behavior and attempt to change the subject. She subspaced the paint, letting it drop for now. Joining Jazz at the booth, she watched him hold up different stickers to his frame and study them in the mirror propped up on the table.

"Which one look's more like meh?" he asked. He showed her a black number four racer decal and a high-tech blaster crossed with an energon sword in an X formation. She studied them both and pointed to the number four.

"You strike me as more of a racer," she commented. He glanced at it for a nano-klik, then nodded.

"Yah, yor right. 'Sides, Ah think Ah like it bettah." He turned back to the vendor and handed over a few credits. As they walked away form the table, he subspaced it and proclaimed, "Ah'm gonna put this on righ' when we get back."

* * *

A groon later, Silvermoon found herself at a table outside of a small cafe, drinking special, spiced energon that Jazz had bought for her to try. She laughed at his latest joke, then realized the past time she'd spent in his company had been the best all orn. "Phew, this has been the best solar cycle in a while. Thanks, Jazz."

"No problem. Evurybot likes tha Jazz-man," he said, propping his helm up on a servo. She smiled and sipped at her energon.

"I wish we didn't have to go back so soon," she muttered.

"No bot said we hafta," Jazz responded. She smiled half-heartedly.

"The Autobots need me to do Prowl's data pads. Speaking of which, I need to get back and finish," she said, standing up. Jazz groaned, following suit, but he made it look like he was going to plop right back down. He dropped a credit on the table as a tip and walked out onto the street. Silvermoon followed, holding the remaining energon.

"Walk or drive?" Jazz asked.

"Walk," Silvermoon answered. He nodded and started off at a brisk pace.

"Ya kno', yor gonna get borin' jus' like Prowler, always workin' on data pads," he complained.

She laughed. "I said I had to get back, not that I wanted to. You don't have to walk so fast." His optics brightened as he grinned and slowed down to a leisurely pace.

* * *

Silvermoon sighed, staring at the data pad in front of her. It was on the ships that had departed and arrived in Iacon in the past few orns. How boring. She wondered how Prowl could do this all the time. Her mind wandered to the events of the solar cycle and her optics brightened, remembering the paint. She pulled it out of subspace and glanced around, finding the full-length mirror in Prowl's room.

She popped off the lid, grabbed a nearby paintbrush, stood before the mirror, and dipped the brush in the can. Then she angled it just right and began to apply it to her armor, adding purple accents to her navy blue and silver plating.

* * *

**A/N: I've pretty much got the story planned out, but if you want to see something, suggest it, and I'll see what I can do. Ideas are always appreciated!**


	13. Monster

**Author's Note: Don't you just love how crazy November is, school-wise? Four-day weekend last weekend and next one. Oh well, more time to type! Thanks to **TXVR6 **and **Mimzy94 **for adding this to their favs and/or alerts! **

**The song for this chapter is Monster by Skillet. Think of it as being sung from the traitor.**

Bee4ever: **Prowl will come back online in the next chapter or two, so you'll find out soon enough!**

**Quartex= Cybertronian Month**

"**Blah" = Decepticon Transmission**

* * *

A ping in Silvermoon's HUD sounded, alerted her of an incoming message. She opened the line and realized that it was the officer's line, the one she took over for Prowl.

**.:All Officers, report to Communications room, Optimus' orders.:. -Blaster**

Silvermoon didn't bother to reply, knowing all the other higher-ups had gotten the same message. Instead, she hastened from Prowl's office to the designated meeting place, thanking Primus that her paint had dried.

Out in the hall, she almost ran into Jazz, who was walking past.

"Ya got tha message to?" he asked, seeing the look of confusion in her optics. She nodded. "Folla meh then." He lead the way to the room, and they were joined by Ratchet on the way. They got inside to see Ultra Magnus, Kup, Blaster, and Optimus. Ironhide walked in after Ratchet. Silvermoon watched Optimus glance at the assembled 'bots before he spoke.

"Blaster has detected a suspiciously encoded transmission that has been working through our sensors for the past few quartexes," Optimus announced, turning to the Intelligence officer. The red 'bot pressed a button on the keyboard, pulling up a message.

"**Sir, I've gotten into the ranks of the Autobots, and they don't suspect a thing,"** floated out of the speakers. It was very deep, and had obviously been altered to not sound like whoever had said the words.

"**Good. The plan is working so far. Keep up your disguise and maintain the lookout."** The voice sounded suspiciously like-

"Megatron," Ironhide growled.

_Oh yeah, he's not 'Megatronus' anymore,_ Silvermoon remembered. Optimus gave a curt nod to Ironhide.

"These transmissions have been going back and fourth, but the more recent ones have been more interesting," Optimus said flatly. Blaster pushed another button and a different signal popped up.

"**There's a new femme here. The 'bots who went to rescue her claim she was up on the first moon for four thousand orbital cycles." **said the same deep voice. Optics flickered to Silvermoon as they realized she was the topic. Her optics widened in surprise, wondering why the evil warlord would care about her.

"**Really? That's interesting. Soundwave, check for Seeker activity at the beginning of the war."** There was a slight pause in which those present could here the tapping of keys. Then they heard the Decepticon TIC in the background.

"**Results: Small pod fired on. Location: Near first moon. Pod: Crashed into moon. Seeker: Thundercracker."**

"**Who was confirmed inside?"**

"**Occupant: Unidentified femme."**

"**So this must be her. I will send Starscream after her when we attack the Autobot's base next solar cycle. Report soon, spy."**

"**Yes, my Lord."**

The transmission ended, followed by a heavy silence. Silvermoon's processor whirled, setting up the newest information with what she knew about her crash. This Thundercracker had to be somewhat close to Starscream, if he had chased her from the Academy. And that would explain how she'd crashed. But why hadn't Starscream captured her at the fight?

As if reading her processor, Ultra Magnus said, "That has to be why Starscream went after her at the fight. That seemed planned, if you think about it."

Optimus nodded, glancing at Silvermoon. He noted she was a bit paler than usual. Ratchet also noticed and discreetly scanned her. Silvermoon felt it and glared at the medic, making Optimus know she was mainly okay.

"And the latest transmission," Optimus said, regaining everybot's attention, "makes us believe that the traitor is currently on the lookout for the Allspark." A few gasps sounded as Blaster played the latest clip.

"**Have you found it yet?"**

"**Not yet, my Lord. The fraggin' Autobots are keeping it under lock and key, so to speak. Only the officers know of its location. Do you want me to hack one of their processors?"**

"**Only if you do not gain attention. We cannot afford to have this go up in smoke now. Not when we are so close. Mark my words, spy. If you make us lose the only way to gaining the power source, your helm will be the next one joining my collection."**

"**Of course, my Lord."**

The connection ended, and blue optics glanced at one another, betraying the fear and confusion sifting through processors. Silvermoon caught Jazz looking at her from the corner of her optic, but didn't look at him.

"This latest one has lead us to believe that Megatron is indeed after the Allspark, and that the spy attacked Prowl for the information." Nods from various 'bots followed the Prime's words, showing that the dots lined up perfectly.

"Couldn't we get the spy's identity from Prowl then?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"If he regained conciseness, that would work," Ratchet spoke up. "However, he's still in stasis-lock. And he damage to the processor, which means he could've forgotten the most recent events."

An idea came to Silvermoon, but she didn't want to voice it out loud. She opened up a private comm. link to Ratchet.

**.:What about the friendship bond?:. -Silvermoon**

The medic's optics widened a bit in surprise as he considered the idea. She watched his optics grow dim for a moment, as well as Optimus'. A slight nod from the Prime followed. Then Ratchet responded.

**.:It's worth a shot. Meet me in the med bay after this.:. -Ratchet**

Silvermoon gave a small nod to him and refocused on the conversation.

"We hafta find this spy," Jazz was saying. Kup agreed.

"I suggest we send out search teams immediately," the old Wrecker said.

"No," Optimus said, making everybot glance at him. "Only the participants of this meeting can look. If word gets around to the troops-"

"-the spy will be informed and run for it," Ultra Magnus finished. Optimus gave a nod at his comrade's words.

"While you are searching, maintain covert cover. No bot besides us should know of this," Optimus ordered. Everybot nodded. "Dismissed."

Silvermoon headed for the door at what she hoped didn't seem like a rushed pace. Outside the room, she started for the med bay, only to be stopped by a servo gently grabbing her arm. She turned, seeing Jazz.

"Can Ah have a word wit' ya?" he asked. She nodded and allowed the saboteur to lead her to a private corner. He turned and asked, "Have ya heard some o' the rumors goin' around about ya?"

"No, what are the 'bots saying?" she asked, suddenly suspicious. This serious look on his normally joyous faceplates had her worried.

"Some o' the 'bots are sayin' tha' ya are the one who got Prowler down, so ya could ge' his position fo' yoself."

Anger flared in Silvermoon, and she knew it would reach her optics. "How could they? We've been friends since sparklinghood! Slag, we've got a fraggin' _friendship bond_! How could they assume that!?"

Jazz's visor did little to reveal his true emotions. "Ah didn't belive 'em, but Ah though ya ought ta kno' what tha troops are sayin'." She suddenly remembered the look Blades and Hot Rod had shared earlier in the solar cycle, she connected the events.

"Thanks, Jazz. I'll deal with them," she said. He nodded and started to walk away. She kept pace with him. "Nice decal, by the way." His black number four now adorned his chest plates, which was his hood in vehicle mode.

"Thanks. Yor purple accents don' look too bad, either," he grinned. She grinned back and they kept walking.

* * *

Silvermoon delved down the bond that her and Prowl shared. _I hope this works, _she thought. Once again, she found him in a trance-like state, random memories floating by. Nothing depicted the recent attack. She headed for his CPU, hoping to uncover something to help with the search.

_Recent attack, come on, find something on the recent attack, _she thought, knowing her thoughts would transfer to him. His subconscious heard her thinking and a thought bubble appeared from nowhere. She could tell from the memory that it was the most recent thing he could remember. She saw a flash of bright orange, a blurry outline of her frame helping him, then... nothing. The rest of the memory was just static.

Not finding anything else, Silvermoon withdrew back to her own mind. She onlined her optics and saw Ratchet alternately studying her and the monitor by Prowl. "Well?"

"Slaggit. You were right. He can't remember anything. All I got was a bright flash of orange. And that could've been anything. A blaster warming up, a light, an explosive, or something else," she summarized.

"You couldn't tell?" he asked. She shook her helm wearily. "Alright go look around a bit. Jazz said he'd meet you in a few breems by Prowl's office."

"Thanks, Ratchet," she said, standing. He nodded once and she left, seeing Jolt working at a nearby table. He gave her a reassuring look.

Out in the hall, Silvermoon debated on where to go search. Thinking Prowl was attacked in the brig, and knowing she needed to meet Jazz a his office, she absentmindedly headed for the aforementioned place. In the brig was very dark. A lot darker than it had been when she'd found him. She flickered on her headlights that rested on her chest and aimed them around. Nothing really seemed to be out of place, but she swept them across the ground, only to see a pede-print. She knelt down and took a still image of it, wondering whose it was. A piece of metal a little ways away then caught her attention. It looked like it had been chipped off somebot's armor, and it was a bright orange.

Suddenly, she connected the memory to the metal. Whoever had attacked Prowl had orange paint. She sent the pede-print and a picture of the metal in a data burst to Prime, then subspaced the metal. Standing, Silvermoon was about to head out of the brig when she noticed she was standing exactly where Prowl had been lying. It was farther back then what was normally used. The only cells to really be used were the first two, when the twins got into trouble. So the area where she was could have perfectly preserved any other evidence. She knelt down once more, hoping to find something that could help nudge them in the right direction. She knew the pede-print and metal wouldn't be enough.

She searched for two kliks, and just when she was about to give up, her scanner picked up on a little puddle of dried energon. The scanner analyzed it, telling her exactly what grade it was and when it had fallen from somebot's lines. This information she sent to Ratchet, hoping he could get more info from it. Then she started to head for Prowl's office, knowing she needed to meet Jazz.

Her HUD pinged suddenly, just as she received a sense of discomfort, knowing something bad was about to happen. The whirl of a blaster reached her audio receptors ans she threw herself to the ground, not a moment too soon. A bright blue shot whizzed over her helm, going through where she had just been standing. It struck the far wall, leaving a deep scorch mark. She raised her helm enough to see orange pedes in front of her.

A deep voice chuckled. "Well, well, well. Look what the cybercat dragged in. Did you come to avenge your pathetic friend?"

* * *

**A/N: Well, a dreaded cliffhanger! Don't hurt me! And can anyone guess who the traitor is?**


	14. Nothing I've Ever Known

**Author's Note: Toldja I had a lot of time to type. Thankfully I had this typed up, seeing as I got grounded. -.-'**

**The song for this chapter is Nothing I've Ever Known by Bryan Adams, seeing as this is new for both Prowler and Silvermoon.**

**Thanks to **Zombiegirl0203, Haag, Bumblebee's Girl, **and **Flashfox Tyrell05 **for adding this story to their alerts and/or favs!**

Bee4ever: **Yeah, but they're not the traitor. unfortunately. I don't really like Hot Rod that much.**

opalwol12: **YEAH. HE'S GONNA KILL ALL THE BOTS! :p**

ninja-of-twilight:** Keeping secrets, are we? Oh well, you'll find out if you were right or wrong now. And thanks.**

Kae88: **Yesss! Cliffhanger! But here's the next part. It'd be cool if he did, but remember, he's recovering from spark surgery. He wouldn't be much good in a fight yet.**

TXVR6: **Thanks. I'll try to update often so you can.**

* * *

_P__ain. Lots of it. Damage to chest-plate region. Pain for what feels like vorns. Then... relief. Energon slowly replenished. Recharge. Recount of memories. Glitch-mouse and Sentinel. Silvermoon fleeing. Finding her. New assistant. Recent attack? Scanning memories... One found. Bright orange, Silvermoon helping... blurry. Memory end. Everything fading to black..._

* * *

Prowl onlined his optics wearily, taking note of the ache in his chest plates. He pushed himself up a little bit, groaning. Ratchet, who was across from him, heard him and hurried over. He placed a servo on each f Prowl's shoulders and pushed him back down.

"Steady, Prowl," he said. "You took a hit directly over your spark chamber. It almost offlined you." Prowl watched the medic, not really processing what he was saying. His optics scanned the room and he figured out he was in the med bay.

**Systems Rebooting.**

**Processor 99% functional.**

**Two incomplete Memory Files found. View? Yes No**

**No. Offline HUD? Yes No**

**Yes. HUD offlining.**

Prowl suddenly found himself more aware and processing what Ratchet had said. "How long have I been in here?"

Ratchet eyed him, then decided it'd be safe to tell the SIC. "About three solar cycles." Prowl venting systems hitched. Who had been taking care of his duties for him? Or was he not going to be able to recharge for an orn? As if reading his thought, Ratchet said, "Don't worry. Silvermoon's been doing your job for you. And she's suffered from overworking as well."

Prowl raised an optic ridge. "Suffered? As in past tense? How did she get over it?"

"Jazz. They went into Iacon earlier this solar cycle to relax a bit. You should see her paint now."

Prowl had his spark ache momentarily at the thought of Jazz taking her to get new paint and not him taking her. Then his processor nearly crashed. _Why do I care if Jazz hangs out with her? Wait a nano-klik. Is _Silvermoon _the one? _His whole frame stilled for a second, and his vents stopped cycling air. The monitor next to him went crazy at his irregular sparkbeat.

Ratchet stared at him. "A new _paint job _will make your processor crash now? That's as illogical as I've ever heard it," he mumbled, moving over to scan the frozen SIC.

"Silvermoon," Prowl said, almost too quiet for Ratchet to hear. The medic paused.

"What about her?" he asked. Prowl looked at him, making Ratchet lose the need to scan his patient.

"I think...she's the one," Prowl replied, just as quietly. Ratchet thought about this for a moment.

"The one your spark chose?" he asked, figuring it out. A nod from the tactician was his response. A tense silence followed the exchange, in which Ratchet's optics grew dim. Prowl didn't even notice, too wrapped in own thoughts to care. "Well we'll soon know," the medibot said, his optics going back to normal.

Prowl looked up. "What makes you say that?"

Ratchet paused on his way to prepare another medical berth. "Jazz is bringing her in now."

* * *

Silvermoon's helm rose up to look the traitor in the optics. The bot was standing a bit in the shadows, and she couldn't distinguish him room the rest of the 'bots that she barely knew on the base. Thinking fast, the femme jumped up, flared her headlights at the spy, and took a still image to send to Prime, knowing fully well it could be the last thing anybot ever heard from her. In the brief flare of light, she recognized the 'bot, and the thought almost made her spark stop.

"You," she said in a low, deadly tone. She crouched down as the data burst sent, preparing to fight.

"Me," the mech agreed, charging up his gun again. He fired at her multiple times, talking all the while. "So, how long did it take for those glitchhead Autobots to figure out _I_ was the decepticon spy?" Silvermoon backflipped away, dodging the blasts.

"Until now, Fireshower," she growled, quickly unspacing a higher-power blaster and firing it at him. He didn't even flinch, and the bullet hit his shoulder.

"That is not my true designation," he sneered. "Perhaps you'll know me by my real one. I am Makeshift!" he crowed triumphantly, making the energon in her lines run cold. She had heard stories of this particular 'con back before the war had even started. He had been well-known for being a bounty hunter, and was a dangerous foe. She watched warily as his bright frame melted away to reveal a similar, but darker mech. Where the Autobot symbol had sat on his fake frame, now lay a pointy purple decepticon insignia.

With his free servo, Makeshift punched Silvermoon across the faceplates. She backed up a step from the force of the punch. A dribbled of energon rolled down her chin from her split lip plates. She wiped it off and glared at him.

"You'll pay for what you did to Prowl!" she yelled, charging the pretender. The older energon blade formed from her servo a nano-klik before she reached him, and she swung it at him repeatedly, only managing to hit him a few times. She let her frustration and anger boil over so she was working on adrenaline. Swinging her sword, he dodged the blows, only to be hit in the chest plates with a fist he didn't expect. He grunted, knowing this femme a little over half his size could put some force behind her punch. That just made him angry, and he stepped back, charging up his blaster.

He shot at her and dinged her abdomen. "HEY! I JUST REDID THAT PAINT!" she screeched, making him wince at him volume and pitch. _Wow, total Sunny moment there, _she thought to herself, but continued to fight. She barely acknowledged the pain generating from her tanks, swinging at the 'con responsible for almost offlining her best friend and life partner.

That thought made her stumble. _Where did that come from?! _Her moment of hesitance cost her. Makeshift brought the butt of his blaster down on her helm, making her cry out and fall to the ground. Her sword instinctively morphed back into her servo, and she her her helm.

Makeshift gave a triumphant "Ha!" and aimed his gun at her forehelm. She looked down the barrel with wide optics, watching it glow a bright orange as it powered up for the tenth time. Makeshift's finger rested on the trigger.

"'EY!" a voice yelled from the door. Makeshift's helm swiveled around at the sudden noise, his gun going off to one side just in time for the shot to miss Silvermoon. The femme didn't bother to look at the bot who had saved her, knowing she wouldn't get another chance. She unspaced her blaster and aimed it straight at Makeshift's chest plates. By the time the 'con had figured out the ruse and turned back to her, it was too late for him. Silvermoon had already pulled the trigger, sending the bullet straight into Makeshift's spark chamber.

He howled, feeling the bullet wrench its way into his spark. It sent a jolt out to the rest of his frame, forcing his processor to shut down. "You haven't won," he panted. "I've already sent the coordinates for the Cube to Megatron." His words chilled Silvermoon. Then his life force faded as his optics grew dim. The clang of his frame hitting the ground echoed in the dark brig, masking any noise Jazz made on his way to the femme.

"You're the one who distracted him?" Silvermoon asked, catching sight of him. He nodded.

"Tha' was the spy? 'E doesn' look anythin' like the 'bots on base," Jazz commented.

Silvermoon stood up and subspaced her blaster. "It's Fireshower. He was actually Makeshift. How did he know where the Cube was?"

"Slaggit. We gotta tell Prime abou' this," Jazz paused when he looked at Silvermoon.

"What?" she asked, seeing his gaze.

"Nothin'. Come on." He lead her out of the brig and down the hall. As they got further from the brig, her adrenaline wore off a bit. By the time she had figured out he was taking her to the med bay, she was protesting, saying Prime needed to know about Makeshift.

"C'mon. Ya need medical attention," he said, pushing her through the med bay doors.

"I'm fine," she protested, seeing Ratchet notice their arrival. Then the pain from her abdomen hit, making her double over. "Or maybe not. Why'd it hafta hit _now_?" she said, almost moaning. She felt Ratchet gently push her onto a prepared medical berth and she layed down, allowing herself to relax and have the pain ease off a bit.

Jazz, seeing she'd be in good servos, announced, "Ah'm off ta tell Prime abou' Makeshift. See ya, Ratchet, Silvermoon, Prowl," he said, turning and almost sauntering out of the med bay.

"Prowl?" Silvermoon asked, turning to her friend so fast she nearly upset the machine Ratchet was trying to hook up to her. The sight that greeted her optics was the impassive black and white 'bot watching her with a worried look in his optics. She knew her faceplates would bear some of the pain she felt from the sudden movement, but she had to see him. "You're awake!"

He gave a slight nod. "What happened to you? Data pads are not normally that dangerous."

She winced, recalling the murderous look in Makeshift's optics as he aimed his blaster at her. "I dealt with the traitor."

Prowl gasped. "On your own? That was reckless!" She shrugged.

"What happened to him?" Ratchet asked curiously.

Silvermoon looked down almost shamefully. "I offlined him."

"Good for you," Ratchet said. "That really helps Optimus with- Why do you look like you regret it?"

"First 'bot down in combat," Prowl said softly, making her look at him. She saw the comforting look on his faceplates and nodded. Ratchet vented heavily.

"It's alright," Silvermoon said, making the medic not need to put voice to his unspoken apology.

"So who was the traitor?" Prowl asked.

"Fireshower. It was actually Makeshift pretending to be an Autobot," she responded, watching Ratchet prepare a welder to fix her energon lines.

"I thought there was something off about that mech," Ratchet said. "He came in here once for repairs and wouldn't let me fix any communication wiring. I didn't think about it at the time, but now I know he didn't want me to find his transmissions. Slagger."

Silvermoon smiled at Ratchet's irritableness. He moved the welder to close some lines, causing her to wince slightly at the sudden warmth in her abdomen. If the medic noticed, he made no move to show he did.

"What did you do to your paint?" Prowl asked. She looked down at the purple accents.

"I got it with Jazz. Is something wrong with it?"

"No. It looks... nice," Prowl commented, not knowing how to say how well it commented her frame. She nodded in thanks.

A wave of heat from Ratchet's welder drew her attention back to her injuries. She let him continue his work, thinking about what had distracted her during the fight. Her _life partner_? What made her think of that? And why Prowl? That'd just be really awkward, since they had been fried since sparklinghood. Then again, he was a very nice mech, who seemed to be concerned about her. And helped her when she seemed to need it most. Is that why she'd suddenly thought of that? Casting the thought out of her mind, Silvermoon decided to let Prowl bombard her with questions on what he had missed as SIC.

* * *

**A/N: Happy early turkey day, everyone! And this is an early birthday present from me. Have a good weekend!**


	15. What the Hell

**Author's Note: Two updates in the same weekend?! What's gotten into me?! Anyways, enjoy.**

**Song: What the Hell by Avril Lavigne (Think of it as Smokescreen's annoyance!)**

Bee4ever: **Yep. Now to more interesting stuff.**

Autobotgirl2234**: Thanks for the *goes back and counts* 9 reviews. Keep on reading!**

* * *

Prowl stood, noting that the pain from his spark chamber had lessened dramatically over the past five solar cycles. Optimus had forbade him from all work but data pads, so Silvermoon still had to fill in for him at meetings. _She's pretty good at this for only being here about a quartex, _Prowl reflected. _Wow. It's been a quartex since she got here already._

The tactician moved from his berth over to his desk and picked up one of the latest data pads. Hearing the doorbell ring, he called "Come in." Silvermoon entered, carrying two cubes of mid grade and looking slightly flustered. She handed him a cube and moved to sit at her smaller desk, which had been installed the solar cycle after she'd defeated Makeshift. "Good solar cycle. What is wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," she said, opening her cube. "I just ran into the Twin Terrors outside and they were congratulating me on the spy business. Well, more like trying to flirt. I swear, I heard Sideswipe _purr_ as he was telling me he was proud."

If they had been back in the Academy, Prowl would have just laughed and called Sideswipe a cybercat. But seeing as they weren't, Prowl's engine growled threateningly, making Silvermoon look at him oddly. "Prowl? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just... an engine malfunction." Still looking like she didn't believe him, Silvermoon turned her attention to the data pad on her desk.

"Do you need to go see Ratchet again? I can schedule a check up for you."

"It is not necessary," he said, trying to smooth over his mistake. He still hadn't told her about the sparkmate issue, and wasn't planning on it unless he was 99% sure it was her. Silence followed the awkward exchange, while both 'bots worked on their duties. It remained that way until Prowl's HUD pinged, signaling a comm.

**.:Prowl. I need you and Silvermoon to report to my office immediately. I have a mission for you two.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:Right away, sir.:. -Prowl.**

The SIC stood up, gaining his assistant's attention. "Prime wants to meet with us," he said. She pushed her chair away from the desk and followed him out the door.

In Prime's office, Prowl saw Smokescreen, First Aid, Ultra Magnus, and Prime himself. There were two more empty seats, so he sat in one and Silvermoon claimed the other. Seeing they were all there, Prime cleared his throat, getting their attention.

"Some of our troops have come down with a rare virus that only has one cure. From the research Ratchet has done, the place with the most quantities of it is the Praxus Medical Academy. I'm sending you three, since You two are Praxian," he said, gesturing to Prowl and Smokescreen, "and you could use the field experience." He pointed to Silvermoon last.

"And I'm assuming you're sending me because I trained at the Medical Academy?" First Aid asked.

"Yes, that is the reason why I have chosen you to go along," the Prime said. First Aid nodded. "While you are there, see if you can get anybot who wants to join the Autobot cause to come back with you. I have a feeling there will be a big battle coming soon. The shuttle that will be taking you will depart Iacon next solar cycle around noon." The gathered 'bots nodded their helms to show they understood. "Prowl, may I have a word with you? Dismissed."

Prowl told Silvermoon he'd come back to his office later, watched everybot leave, then turned his optics to his leader. Optimus had re-situated himself behind his desk, his servos folded together. Prowl took a few steps forward, stopping in front of the desk.

"How have you been feeling?" Optimus asked.

"There has been a lot less pain lately," Prowl answered.

"Good. I still don't want you to overexert yourself, and Ratchet has expressed his need for you to restrain yourself from all but light work."

"Where is Ratchet?" Prowl questioned, wondering why he had told Optimus to pass along the message.

"At the moment, I believe he is tending to some injured neutrals we have found at the latest decepticon attack site," the Prime answered. "I'm letting you lead the mission to Praxus, and I trust you can get your comrades to the shuttle next solar cycle."

"Very well." Knowing Optimus was done with the chat, Prowl added the Autobot saying. "Until all are one."

"Until all are one."

* * *

"Come on, we're gonna be late!" Silvermoon called. Prowl growled to himself, subspacing acid pellets for his gun.

"We will not be late. According to my schedule, we are right on time," he countered. His partner huffed and he could tell she was rolling her optics. He considered acting like he had a few more things to do, but he knew that would make them late, and he didn't feel like torturing her right now. "Alright, let's go."

Outside Prowl's office, First Aid and Smokescreen were waiting, leaning against the wall. "There you two are. Do you have everything you need for a orn-end trip?" Aid asked.

Prowl nodded while Silvermoon said, "Yep. You?" The medibot gave a nod of his own, while the other Praxian gave a yawn for show.

"Are we gonna go now?" he asked, ever the impatient 'bot. Prowl, knowing that Smokescreen was a 'bot who had an act-now-ask-questions-later attitude, decided it best to just nod and lead the way to the entrance. On the way, he got a comm.

**.:What's Smokescreen's job?:. -Silvermoon**

**.:He conceals missions from the decepticons and gets close to his teammates, reporting to Optimus how their feeling about their positions.:. -Prowl**

**.:Oh. So he's kinda like the reverse role of Jazz?:. -Silvermoon**

**.:You could call it that.:. -Prowl**

Taking in their surroundings, the tactician found himself suddenly next to the door. His doorwings twitched with unspoken joy at returning to his hometown. "Alright, transform and move," he called, morphing down to his Enforcer mode. Hearing the others mirroring him, he didn't bother to check behind him, instead driving out and down to Iacon.

* * *

The shuttle was relativity silent, no bot having a need to go to Praxus. There was only two other mechs and a femme on board. Silvermoon leaned back in her seat, allowing herself to relax before she needed to use her energy on the mission.

Her surroundings consisted of a few berth rooms, used on over-lunar-cycle flights, various paintings hanging on the walls and a few windows that allowed for a good view of what they were flying over. A loud beep sounded, telling the passengers they could now move around safely. The navy, silver, and purple femme stood, moving to the one painting that had caught her optic. It looked familiar, and she glanced at the signature on it. The swirling font told her why it looked so familiar; Sunstreaker. The style of it was the same as the one she'd seen in the rec room at base.

Feeling a presence behind her, Silvermoon turned and saw Prowl. He glanced at the painting. "Sunstreaker painted it," she said, pointing at his name in the corner. Her partner nodded. "Wonder if he knows the shuttle station has some of his work?"

"Do not tell him, his ego is big enough already," Prowl stated flatly. Silvermoon laughed, knowing it was true.

"You know Sunstreaker?!" the other femme asked, making them turn around. "He does beautiful art!"

"Yeah, but he's a pain in the aft during training. 'My paint!'" Silvermoon impersonated the golden warrior. Prowl noticed the femme staring at the Autobot insignias that marked them.

"Let me guess. Sunny?" asked Smokescreen walking over. Silvermoon nodded.

"Oh my Primus!" the other femme said. "You're part of the Autobots, aren't you?" Smokescreen nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Norika."

"I'm Silvermoon, that's Smokescreen, this is Prowl, and First Aid's around here somewhere," Silvermoon said, ever the friendly 'bot. Prowl noticed the femme's gaze linger on him longer than any of the other mentioned 'bots.

"Prowl, as in Prowl Second-in-Command of the Autobots?"

Prowl gave a single nod, his doorwings stiff from the femme's attention. He almost expected a shriek, but didn't get one, which made him happy his audios wouldn't get blown off from the intensity.

Norika and Silvermoon headed off to a set of seats, talking, while Smokescreen went to gather First Aid and Prowl went back to his own seat.

* * *

"So you say Sunstreaker's an Autobot?" Norika asked a groon later. The two femmes had been talking almost the entire trip. Silvermoon nodded, causing Norika to sigh. "I'd join just to meet him," she said wistfully.

"Are you a neutral then?" Silvermoon questioned.

Norika nodded. "I just got my adult frame two orns ago, and my creators are still _way_ to overprotective of me. They say they don't want me to get caught up in the war, and that it's not a femme's place to have that occupation. They're too old-fashioned to know that the times have moved on, and femmes don't have to stay at our housing units all day anymore, bearing sparklings for our mates."

"That's a little sexist," Silvermoon commented.

"I know, right!? Anyways, I'm on my way home from visiting my brother in Iacon."

"Femmes talk a lot," Smokescreen complained, slouching down in his seat next to Prowl. "I think my audios are going to fall off." Prowl nodded at his comrade's words, but continued to listen to his assistant's conversation, slightly intrigued about Norika. He wondered if she would join the Autobots, given the chance her creators let her.

"Oh really? Who's your brother?"

"You might know him. He's part of the Autobots, too. I think he's a spy for them. His designation is Mirage."

Prowl's doorwings stiffened, remembering when Mirage had shown his less-than-Autobot act by cornering Silvermoon. By the look on her faceplates, Silvermoon remembered the incident clearly, too, but she didn't inform Norika about it. But that explained why Norika had a noble air around her.

"Yeah, I know him. If you're creators are so keen on keeping you out of the war, how'd he join up?"

"Mirage ran away after they told him that he couldn't. I'm the only one he keeps in touch with. I've considered following him to join, but I couldn't betray my creators like that, sexist or not."

Silvermoon nodded, then asked, "So you just visited Mirage, but you don't know Sunstreaker's an Autobot?"

Norika grinned. "This is only the second time I've visited him, and it was outside the base. I went against my creator's wishes this time."

A loud beep rang out, this time signaling that the shuttle would begin its descent into Praxus momentarily. Prowl watched the two other mechs take a seat. A nano-klik later, the ground underneath them tilted, giving an uncomfortable feeling to everybot on board. The discomfort only lasted a moment, though, as the shuttle leveled out and the engines gently set the craft on the ground. The seven, Cybertronians stood and waited for the door to open. Once it had, Prowl lead the way out.

Outside the shuttle was the terminal, but beyond that, Praxus sprawled out on the dull metal landscape. The city was set ablaze in color by the sunset, making it all the grander. Prowl heard Silvermoon gasp behind him, taking in the sight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Norika asked her quietly. Not hearing a response, Prowl assumed his partner just nodded. The tactician lead his group far enough away that the next group boarding the shuttle wouldn't have to go around the 'bots. Then he turned.

"Alright. We are going to the housing unit Optimus assigned to us and next lunar cycle we will proceed with the mission," Prowl announced. Receiving nods from his team, the SIC headed to a nearby transport car that would take them to their destination.

"Hey!" a voice exclaimed. They turned to see Norika. Smokescreen gave an audible groan and moved farther back in the car. "I guess we're going to the same place, huh?"

"Yep," Silvermoon replied, and they resumed talking. Prowl could have sworn that he heard Smokescreen groan again, but the car was filled with the sounds of other Cybertronians talking.

The ride only lasted two breems, and then it stopped, letting them off at the noble's neighborhood. Smokescreen facepalmed as Norika followed them once again. "Where's our unit?" he muttered to Prowl in an undertone. Prowl gave him the address and the deceptive 'bot took off, anxious to escape the talkative femmes.

The housing unit Norika's creators owned was two down from where the 'bots were staying. The door of it opened to reveal a mech frame, shaking in anger. "NORIKA! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT LEAVING WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?!"

Said femme sighed and looked at them. "I have to go. See ya, Silvermoon." Silvermoon's new-found friend waved, then took off to her housing unit.

"Well, Smokescreen will be happy to know she is our neighbor," Prowl muttered, then headed for their own unit.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I realize my story doesn't follow any official plotline, but I'm just gonna make it up as I go. They're in Praxus! OMP, does anybot have an idea what's gonna happen? (It's kinda obvious: what happened in Praxus?)**


	16. Whispers in the Dark

**Author's Note: Alright, weekend again! This whole chapter is mainly fluff, since I haven't been focusing on that much yet. The song is Whispers in the Dark by Skillet. Enjoy!**

Bee4ever:** Thanks!**

Kae88: **Not quite, but that will happen. And thanks.**

* * *

"How did Optimus get us this housing unit?" Silvermoon asked. Prowl looked at her.

"It was my creator's housing unit," he replied, painful memories coming to the front of his processor. He shoved them away and entered. Knowing he didn't want to talk about it, the femme remained silent and followed him in. First Aid gave her a confused look, and she shrugged, preferring to not give up Prowl's secrets. If he wanted his teammates to know, he would've told them by now.

Inside the unit, it showed signs of having been broken into on at least one occasion. The rooms were sparsely decorated with furniture, only having whatever Prowl's creators had left behind after their offlining. A table stood with five chairs surrounding it. Two were lying on the ground, having been overturned by somebot. A third was in pieces, now useless. Deep gouge marks marked the table's surface. The energon dispenser was empty and looked to be not functioning very well. The walls bore signs of having been beat on, and gang symbols marked them up.

The living room fared no better. The small center table was missing a leg, balancing precariously on the three remaining. The two couches had been covered with memory-metal at one time, but now they were just frames. The loveseat still had the memory-metal on it, marked with the aft-print of whoever had sat there last. The monitor that had hung on the wall was missing. Whether it had been stolen or inherited by somebot else, no bot knew.

Seeing the state of the unit, Silvermoon was almost afraid to look around at the washrack and berth rooms.

"My creators were not the most popular 'bots," Prowl said in a quiet voice. "Some 'bots still hold grudges, apparently."

Smokescreen came running out of one of the two berth rooms then. "This one's not to bad. I call it!"

"We will have to have roommates on this mission," Prowl said. "First Aid, you will bunk with Smokescreen." The medibot nodded while Smokescreen just shrugged and went back into his designated quarters. Silvermoon shook her helm and went to check out where she would be recharging.

* * *

To say the room was a mess was an understatement. Data pads littered the floor, some broken. A file cabinet with its drawers hanging out was in one corner. A few other data pads were in it, and all of them had a least one crack on its screen. Graffiti was scrawled across the wall and the window was almost off its hinges.

A growl from behind her made Silvermoon turn around. Prowl was behind her, and his optics flashed as he took in the room. "This was my berth room," he told her. She watched him kneel down and pick up one of the data pads that was miraculously okay. She heard him mutter, "How could they?" under his breath, before she noticed there was only one berth. It was on the wall furthest from the door. Across from it was a mark on the wall that said another berth had been in the room at one point, but judging by the marks, it had been violently torn out.

Silvermoon looked back to Prowl, only to see him sweep up the data pads and head for the filing cabinet, organizing them alphabetically. "Um, Prowl?" He grunted, letting her know he was still mad, but listening. "There's only one berth in here."

That made him turn and look at the room again. His optic ridges furrowed in confusion. "Last time I was here, there was two." He thought for a moment more, then went back to filing and said, "You take it. I can recharge on the floor." His tone left no room for argument.

Deciding to push her luck, she responded with, "Nah, you take it. You're the leader, after all."

"You are the femme here," he retorted.

It was her turn to furrow her optic ridges. But her action was because of anger and hurt. "Oh, right. I'm the femme, therefore, I'm weaker and can't recharge on the floor." She turned and fled the room, suddenly needing to get away from her partner. Prowl stared after her, wondering what he had said wrong.

* * *

Silvermoon curled up on the loveseat, forcing herself to not leak energon from her optics. _It's not worth crying over,_ she told herself. But still the feeling gripped her, and one tear slowly fell.

"Hey, there's no energon here! How am I supposed to-" Smokescreen almost ran into the living room while he yelled. Then he saw her and stopped. She turned her helm and wiped at her optics, not wanting the cocky mech to see her cry. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice going softer so he wasn't yelling.

"Nothing," she muttered, managing to keep her voice steady. "He just thinks femmes are weaker, that's all."

Smokescreen took 'he' to mean 'Prowl' and sat down next to her. "What did he say?"

"We were just fighting over a berth," she said quietly, not wanting to tell him that there was only one in the room. In the shadowed hallway, Prowl stood watching, going unnoticed by the other two. First Aid walked up behind him and started to say something, but Prowl spun around and clamped a servo on the medibot's mouthplate, shaking his helm to indicate the mech needed to be quiet. At the nod from First Aid, Prowl released him and turned back to the living room.

"So he told you that you could have it, since you're a femme?" Smokescreen guessed. Silvermoon nodded. "Don't worry about it. That's just Prowl being the inconsiderate glitchhead that he is. Believe it or not, he was trying to be kind." A pause followed while she regained her composure.

Silvermoon wiped at her optics to insure that there was no more energon leaking and glanced at Smokescreen. She smiled to let him know she was thinking over his words. "Thanks, Smokescreen."

"No problem," he replied, standing and offering her a servo. She accepted and he helped up up, pulling her into a hug like he had when he'd comforted his sister all those stellar cycles ago. An instinct told him that she needed the comfort for some reason.

In the hallway, Prowl's energon boiled. _Whoa, possessive alert, _he thought, trying to push away the feeling. But the jealousy remained.

Smokescreen pulled out of the embrace and looked at her. "Now, let's get somebot to go get energon for the four of us." Prowl made his entrance then, making Silvermoon almost jump at his sudden appearance. She was glad he'd chosen to enter then and not when she'd been hugging Smokescreen.

"Did you say energon?" Prowl asked in a monotone, making it seem like he hadn't been watching. First Aid followed him out into the room. Smokescreen's nod was followed by Prowl saying, "Silvermoon and I will go get some. First Aid and Smokescreen, will you clean this place up a bit?"

The two mechs answered their commander by going into the other room. Prowl opened the door and gestured for Silvermoon to head out before him. She walked out, the way she held herself announcing she hadn't quite forgiven Prowl yet. The SIC forced back a sigh and went out after her.

* * *

"A dozen cubes of mid grade," Prowl ordered. The shop keeper nodded and went to the back to fetch them. Prowl unspaced some credits and watched from the corner of his optic as Silvermoon examined her surroundings without much interest. They were in a small shop that was well kept, offering what they called the finest energon to the nobles. It was only a few streets away from where they were staying.

The keeper came back out, carrying a box. He set it on the counter and eyed the insignia on Prowl's chest plates. "Is there trouble in Praxus somewhere?" the mech asked, ringing up the purchase. "Forty-five credits."

"No," Prowl said, handing over the amount asked for. "We only have to collect some things for Optimus Prime."

"Ah. Here you go. Have a good lunar cycle."

"You, too." Prowl took the box and headed out the door, vaguely aware of Silvermoon trailing him. He vented deeply. It was now or never.

Turning, he looked Silvermoon squarely in the optics. "I am sorry for what I said, Silvermoon. I did not mean that you were weaker. I was merely trying to let you be more comfortable."

She sighed. "I know. I don't know what came over me. I was being melodramatic. Sorry," she muttered.

"It is of no consequence." Turning, Prowl went back to the housing unit, letting Silvermoon almost talk his audio off as she returned to herself.

* * *

"Good stuff," Silvermoon said, leaning back in her chair and setting down the now empty cube. Smokescreen gave a grunt of agreement from across the table. Looking out through the window, they could see the sun had set completely, leaving small streaks of pink and red on the horizon. Stars were also starting to appear. The femme stood up and walked over to the window, gazing out at the city. Their unit was on a slight hill, boosting them up enough that they could see most of Praxus. The dull metal of the buildings caught the light and turned an off-pink color.

"It's pretty out. I'm gonna go for a walk," she announced. The scrape of a chair told her that Prowl had stood up as well.

"I will come with you. I need to ask you about the latest data pads we received."

Silvermoon rolled her optics and shook her helm, not wanting to discuss that, but she followed Prowl out the door. He held it open for her. Once it had swung shut, she asked, "What did you want to know? It seemed pretty clear to me."

"I do not want to actually discuss it. I just can not take Smokescreen's tales right now," Prowl told her, settling at a leisurely pace.

"He tells stories?"

"About battles he has participated in. Many of which I was present at as well. I do not need to hear about him at the battle of Tyger Pax for the fifteenth time," he replied. Silvermoon chuckled. Then silence settled in, only broken by the sound of their pedes on the ground and other 'bots talking in different housing units.

The pinkish hue in the sky had faded, and the city lights turned on, illuminating patches on the streets. For the first time in an orn, Silvermoon felt content, letting herself relax.

The two 'bots walked for a ways, neither really paying attention to where their pedes lead them. After a breem, Silvermoon shook herself form her thoughts and looked around her. The buildings were only half finished and obviously under construction.

"Uh, Prowl? Do you know where we are?" She glanced over at him and watched him yank his mind of his thoughts.

"Ah. We've reached the construction of Praxus. They are building more housing units and a library, much like the Great Library in Iacon," he explained.

She was about to nod in understanding when a faint mewling caught her audios receptors. She looked around for the source. Not being able to pinpoint it, the femme took a few steps in the direction it seemed to be coming from. The her optics landed on a bundle of metal beams. Halfway underneath it was a cyberkitten. It had its hind paw trapped under the bundle. She gasped and rushed to it.

Her shaking servos felt around it tiny, shaking frame, feeling for any other injuries. A scan revealed it was relatively unharmed, but needed to refuel and rest. What it really needed was to get the beams off of it. As if reading her processor, Prowl lifted one end, allowing Silvermoon to pull the cyberkitten out. She cradled it to her chest plates, allowing it to rest its helm and shutter its optics.

The pede that had been trapped was squashed and leaking. The creature's frame didn't stop shaking, but it did manage to mute its voice box. Silvermoon gazed at the cyberkitten for a moment, until a soft _click_ caught her attention. She looked up at Prowl, her optics making her not need to voice her question.

Prowl gazed back at her, letting a soft look mar his normally emotionless faceplates. "I could not allow this moment to pas unrecognized. You will make a great carrier one day." A hint of a smile ghosted over Silvermoon's lip components, quickly replaced with concern.

"We need to get her back to the unit. She needs energon," she told the SIC. He nodded, letting her lead the way back. As he trailed after her, Prowl examined the still image that he had taken. The soft moon light of the first moon that had barely risen reflected off Silvermoon's armor. The soft look in her optics were what made Prowl's spark melt. He had meant what he'd said.

* * *

The cyberkitten was in recharge, resting its helm on its front paws. Her newly bandaged hind paw had been repaired, courtesy of First Aid. Prowl gazed at Silvermoon, knowing they should probably retire to their berths as well. "We've got a long solar cycle ahead of us. Good lunar cycle," he said, letting his teammates know it was time to disperse for the lunar cycle. Smokescreen gave him a nod and First Aid gave one last glance to his latest patient.

Prowl was aware of his partner following him to the berth room. Once the door had slid shut with a _clang_, he turned to face her. "My offer still stands. You take the berth."

She shook her helm. "I can stand the floor. You take it."

Prowl vented. "You are not going to give up, are you?" She shook her helm once more. He glanced at the berth, already knowing it was built for two. "Alright. To stop the fighting, we will both use it." Her optics widened.

"Uh... Okay. But only because we've been best friends for so long," she warned. This reminded her of a time at the Academy when the 'bots needed to go on a survival mission. All thirteen 'bots had to recharge in one room on the ground, and they had ended up recharging right next to each other.

Prowl let her crawl cautiously onto the berth first. She laid on the edge, allowing her to spring up suddenly if she needed to. Once she was settled, the SIC laid his frame down against the wall.

Her back was to him, and he said, "You know I would not try anything."

She sighed. "I know. Out of all the mechs I know, you'd be the least likely to." A smile lifted Prowl's lip components, and silence followed the exchange. The both slipped into a comfortable recharge, despite the situation.

* * *

**A/N: Ooh, fluffy stuff! :3 Smokescreen is in for a surprise next chapter!**


	17. Bless the Broken Road

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long! Between my family getting sick and me having to chase my muse down again, this one took a while. :(**

**The song for this chapter is Bless the Broken Road by Racal Flatts (the acoustic version is the best!)**

**Thanks to **Zeng Xiao Long Sunstar Crystal, Repenned, Clarissalightwood5679,** and **Songbird's Spirit** for adding this fic to their favs or alerts!**

VectorPrime155**: They'll get there, but if I rush it too much, that wouldn't be a very good story, sorry.**

Bee4ever:** Thanks! And exactly! Aww!**

Kae88:** Yep. And no, Smokescreen's 'surprise' is worse than that! :p**

* * *

Smokescreen onlined his optics, wondering what had pulled him out of recharge. His optics cast around the room, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Realizing how tired he was, Smokescreen tried to go back into recharge, only to have his processor whirl away in thought.

Five breems later, he wrenched his mind out of the gutter and stood up, knowing it was pointless to try and recharge right now. He snuck past First Aid and headed for the kitchen. The cyberkitten Silvermoon had found was curled up on the table. It onlined its optics at the sound of his pede-steps. Yawning, the small femme stood up and trotted over to the edge of the table. Smokescreen sunk down in a chair. The cyberkitten rubbed its helm on his armor, begging to be pet. He stroked the femme with a servo, grinning as it purred.

"You can't recharge, either, huh?" he asked.

"Meow," was her reply. She purred and leaned into his touch. Smokescreen sighed and let his mind wander. It shifted from the mission, to Norika, to annoying 'bots, to the Twin Terrors. That made him think of their annoying pranks. A grin suddenly twisted up his mouthplates. He had the perfect opportunity to prank Prowl right now, and then brag about it back at base. With that thought in mind, he stood up, startling the cyberkitten.

"Meow?" She looked at him questioningly.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized. She watched him move down into the hall and hopped down from the table, following him.

The door to Prowl's room slid open, and Smokescreen stepped in, wondering what he could do to the SIC. His grin faltered as he caught sight of the pair.

Silvermoon was on the edge of the berth, her optics offline. Right behind her lay Prowl, his bulkier white frame visible behind the small femme. Her back was to his chest plates. His arm was wrapped protectively around her, resting just above her tanks. Both of them looked comfortable.

_Why are they on the same berth? Are they a couple?_ Smokescreen wondered. He looked around the room and saw that there wasn't another berth. Then he remembered her saying they had been fighting over a berth. At the time he hadn't known that there was only one in the room, but it looked like they had both wanted each other to have it. Obviously, the issue had been resolved, but not in a way that would have been expected to Smokescreen.

Something rubbed past his pede, and he looked down to see the cyberkitten staring into his optics. It blinked, hiding the green depths from view for a nano-klik. Then she walked over to the berth that the two 'bots were on and hopped up. He watched her pick her way around limbs and armor plating, before settling down in front of Silvermoon's tank plating. She made optic-contact with Smokescreen once more before going back into recharge.

Smokescreen back up and allowed the door to close again, knowing he should head back to his own berth.

* * *

Silvermoon pulled herself out of recharge slowly, absently noting that she was more comfortable than normal. Feeling an arm around her and a warm chest behind her, she instinctively leaned in closer to the heat source, much like a sparkling would. She lay there for a moment, tempted to go back into recharge when she remembered the events of last lunar cycle. And she realized who she was leaning against. She froze, not wanting to wake him, but at the same time, not comfortable with the situation. She pulled the cyberkitten, who had somehow ended up next to her, in closer.

_I need to move, this isn't right, _she thought.

_But then why does it feel so nice? _Her mind argued. Continuing to debate with herself, she never noticed Prowl onlining behind her.

"Silvermoon?" he asked groggily, making her jerk out of her thoughts. Then he noticed his arm was around her. He retracted it, offering no explanation for its presence on her. His mind was screaming, _When did I do that!? _

Free from his grasp, Silvermoon pulled away from him. That's when Prowl realized how close she had been. _Did I pull her close or did she move that way?_ She stood up and stretched. The tactician mimed her. "Did you recharge well?"

"Actually, yes," she admitted. "I haven't recharged that well in a while now."

"Neither have I," Prowl replied, leading the way to the kitchen. Silvermoon set the cyberkitten, who she had carried in, on the table. Smokescreen had his helm down on the table, faceplate-first. The cyberkitten approached the offline 'bot and sniffed his forehelm. Smokescreen felt this and onlined with a jerk.

"You recharged there?" Silvermoon asked, amused. He stretched and winced, pulling a cord in his back.

"Yeah, I guess. I couldn't recharge very well," he said. Prowl sat down, putting four energon cubes on the table, just as First Aid wandered in.

"How's the patient today?" he asked, settling down next to Smokescreen.

"Much better," Silvermoon replied, attracting the cyberkitten's attention and petting her. "I've decided to call her Praxia." She caught Prowl's well-hidden smirk, which said he knew how much she liked the city of Praxus. She stuck her glossa out at the mech, then sipped at her energon. "So what are we doing today?"

"We will head to the Medical Academy first and get the cure Optimus needs. Then we can ask around and get recruits. We have tickets for the shuttle before the evening one," Prowl summarized. The other three nodded.

"Well let's get going then!" Smokescreen said.

* * *

The Praxus Medical Academy towered over the 'bots. A decorative fountain was sitting before the doors, its contents splashing about wildly. Silvermoon spared it a glance before following First Aid through the Academy doors. A receptionist looked up at their arrival.

"Did any of you train here?" she asked. First Aid stepped forward.

"I did. My designation is First Aid," he replied softly. She looked down at the computer in front of her and typed in something.

"Ah, yes. You were one of the best we've ever had," she said praisingly. First Aid felt energon warm his faceplates as he blushed slightly. "So, what can I do for you?"

First Aid looked back at Prowl, silently asking permission to run this part of the mission. Prowl gave him a tiny nod. "We need a cure for the virus classified as X-71, sub-delta 2." The femme sighed.

She leaned over a microphone and spoke into it, asking somebot to come to the front with the requested supplies. "The virus has been breaking out all over Cybertron. We're almost out of the medicine," she told them sadly. Silvermoon sympathized with her. She hated seeing 'bots in pain, unless they were the enemy on the battlefield.

Another mech strode up to the desk, handing over a box to Prowl. Then he left again, just as quietly.

"Is there any shortage on helping servos today?" First Aid asked.

"Actually, yes. Would you mind helping for today?" the femme replied.

First Aid looked at Prowl for permission. The SIC nodded once. "Only for two groons. We must leave soon," Prowl warned.

"That's perfectly fine," the femme said thankfully. "Every 'bot helps."

With that, she lead First Aid away to another room, and the trio took their leave. Back outside, Smokescreen and Silvermoon looked at Prowl.

"What now, chief?" Smokescreen asked.

"We recruit 'bots," Prowl replied curtly, subspacing the box.

* * *

Two groons past by in what seemed like the shutter of an optic to Silvermoon. They had only managed to get two 'bots interested in fighting for their cause. Both mechs, and they were both scientists looking for a new job. The group of five headed back for the Praxus Medical Academy to collect First Aid, then to the shuttle.

A long line waited for them at the docking station. Silvermoon peered around several 'bots, trying to figure out why there was such a long line. Prowl pushed his way through the crowd to the ticket window, speaking with the mech there quickly. She watched the mech hake his helm and point to the line. Prowl said something urgently, and the mech seemed to consider it for a moment. Prowl said something else quickly, and the mech nodded. Then Prowl strode back over to the group.

"What was all that about?" Smokescreen asked.

"Seeing as they have a long line of 'bots wanting to depart, the station is saying first come, first serve. The group is mechs and femmes in their new adult frames, taking a tour of Cybertron's main cities. There's only four more seats, so Silvermoon and I will be staying one more night," Prowl explained as the shuttle came into sight.

"What?! No!" First Aid exclaimed. "We all need to go together!"

"I am perfectly capable of protecting myself and Silvermoon," Prowl said in a monotone, ignoring Silvermoon's look of annoyance shot his way. The two new recruits looked amused at the exchange. Behind them, the shuttle sank into its dock, the metal plating sighing as it set down.

The doors opened and a few 'bots came pouring out of the interior. Then the speakers crackled to life, announcing, "Dock B-3, now boarding."

First Aid showed signs of wanting to protest further, but Prowl cut him off, saying, "Get on. We will come tomorrow. Do I need to make it an order?"

First Aid held up his servos in surrender, his lip compartments pressed together in a thin line of annoyance. He turned and led the group of four on board.

The large group slowly got on, leaving the docking platform mostly empty. The doors hissed shut and the shuttle's engines fired up, blowing flames, and lifted up off the ground. Silvermoon shielded her optics and watched the shuttle depart. Once it was gone from sight, she turned to Prowl and asked, "Now what?"

"Now I show you more of the city you seem to like so much," Prowl replied.

* * *

He spent the next hour showing her around the marketplace, rolling structures of the Science Labs, and various shops with exquisite items. Then they ended up in the Crystal Park, which Silvermoon claimed she liked best in the city. There were a few structures called 'trees' that were translucent yellows, greens, and blues. The path that wound through the park was a checkered pattern of clear blue and orange. Benches lined the path, only a few occupied. Prowl stopped at a vendor and bought two cubes of spiced energon. He handed one to Silvermoon, who was so busy looking at some of the crystal structures to notice he had stopped.

"Thanks," she said, sipping it. He inclined his helm. Soon, dusty streaks of pink began to shot through the sky as the sun sank closer to the horizon. The trees and various objects caught the light and reflected it. They seemed to have an inner glow of their own and the entire park was illuminated in the pink hue. It slowly turned to from burnt orange to crimson red.

Around them, Silvermoon witnessed several couples locking lip-plates, and she shifted uncomfortably. Then she turned her attention back to the trees and watched the light fade from red to blue, and the light slowly leave the trees. "That was beautiful," she breathed. Next to her, Prowl nodded.

"I used to come here when my creators were overcharged. This has always been a popular place for couples," he responded, his voice seeming to go even flatter at the last part.

Curiosity gnawed at her, and she tried to push it away, only for it to get worse. "Did... you ever bring anyone here?" she asked hesitantly. He shook his helm.

"I haven't met that 'bot," Prowl said. _Until you,_ he thought. They were silent for a moment, then he said, "We should get back."

She nodded. "We can get Praxia from Norika," she grinned. Prowl suppressed the urge to roll his optics. They had left the cyber-kitten with Norika, not planning on taking it with them. Now there was probably no way they could leave it behind again.

"Very well," he said. They strode in the direction of the housing unit, tossing their empty cubes in a recycle bin nearby.

* * *

Prowl headed for the berth room, suddenly wondering if they would fight again tonight. He wasn't sure if he could get her to share a berth again, but he also wasn't sure if he wanted to. He didn't want to scare her off. But having her in his arms last lunar cycle had felt so good.

She appeared behind him, stroking Praxia, who was in her arms. "Well... um, what are we doing tonight? Wait, no, that sounded weird. How are we sleeping tonight? Urg, that sounded weird, too!" He smiled at the sound of her faceplaming. Awkward.

"I know what you mean. And you can take Smokescreen or First Aid's berth for tonight, if you would like."

She hesitated. "Um, we could sleep like last lunar cycle?" she offered. "It feels safer."

"Alright." Prowl let her on the berth first again, feeling like he had just run a mile closer to his goal. His spark thrummed happily.

They both fell into a deep, peaceful recharge, not to awake until a huge crash and several explosions disturbed the entire city.

* * *

**A/N: Haha, it's 'that time', isn't it? Anybot know what happens next?**


	18. Evil Angel

**Author's Note: Sorry I made you guys wait so long for that last chapter. This one's longer than normal to be an apology and because I wanted to get to a certain point. I stayed home sick yesterday, so I had a lot of time to type. :) Thanks to **AzraelLuciferThanatosHades **and **Portal3plz** for adding this fic to their alerts!**

**The song for this chapter is Evil Angel by Breaking Benjamin. Think of it as Prowl's distress. You'll know when. :(**

Bee4ever**: I'm updating early, just for you and the people who asked! :D And yes, lots of trouble.**

Portal3plz**: Yes, it was a cliffhanger. Here's the update!**

Kae88**: Thanks. And yes, here's the update for you! c:**

VectorPrime155**: Thanks, and don't worry. They're the main characters, I'm not planning on killing them off! Yet, anyways... Mwahaha! *Cough, hack hack* Okay, nevermind, they'll live. Dang karma :/**

* * *

**On that note, thanks to everyone who reviewed! Wow, over 50 reviews! You guys are awesome!**

* * *

_Crash. Boom, boom, boom. _

Prowl woke with a start, only to find the whole housing unit shaking. He felt Silvermoon wake up next to him, and wrapped his arms around her to draw her close. She did the same thing to Praxia.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

"I don't know, but it sounds like bombs," Prowl replied. "We need to get somewhere safer. Come with me." He sat up and hopped off the berth, dragging Silvermoon with him. He watched her place Praxia in her sparkling hold to keep her safe.

"This feels weird," she muttered as they ran to the kitchen.

"You have never had anything in there before, have you?"

She shook her helm. Prowl glanced back at the counters and counted to ten in his head, moving his digit the whole time. He paused at the right cabinet and opened the door. Reaching inside, he pushed a hidden button and stood back as the back of the cabinet fell forward, then had the hole it left widen. When it had finished, he grabbed her servo and pulled her in, descending down a flight of stairs to a small bomb shelter.

"You have one of these?" she asked, watching him push another button and the hole closing up. He gave a curt nod.

"Most of the housing units in Praxus do. It was a precaution the nobles felt was necessary." His words were punctured with another house-shaking boom. Prowl watched Silvermoon visibly flinch at the noise, and he wrapped his arms around her. She relaxed into his hold, allowing herself to feel safe, despite the situation. Prowl tried to send a comm. to Optimus, only to find he had no signal in the shelter.

Both of them felt a jolt in their sparks from the hugging gesture.

* * *

The shocks and explosions lasted for half a groon, then faded. A ringing silence was left in its wake. Silvermoon lifted up her helm, gazing into Prowl's optics.

"Is it over?" she asked.

"I do not know." He hesitantly let her go, then pushed the button. The door slowly opened again, a fraction of the speed it had before. He squinted in the sudden light that poured in. He gestured at Silvermoon to stay, then slowly went outside.

Prowl couldn't believe his optics the moment he set pede outside. There was too much light for him to still be inside his housing unit at night. The wall behind him was still standing, but the rest of his unit was collapsed. The second moon was high in the sky, pouring off a bright silver light, that reflected in the ruins of Praxus. Buildings lay strewn in the streets, shining dully in the bright moonlight. Street lights were twisted and sparking. Broken frames were twisted, lifeless husks of what were once active 'bots.

But the sight that scared the SIC the most was the forms of several fighter jets. And they were circling around again, making a b-line for the city again. He watched them for a moment, and his spark nearly stopped when he zoomed in and caught sight of the purple insignias on the planes. He watched them for a moment, then realized they could see him. He grabbed a hold of Silvermoon, who had ventured out despite his command. Using his frame to shield the femme, he used a piece of broken-down wall as a cover for them both.

The distinct sound of missiles being separated from their rack reached them, followed by the shrill whistle of them streaking through the air. The jets went overhead, letting Prowl get a good look at the attackers. Then the missiles hit, creating a bight flash of light and a huge shake to the structure. Prowl squeezed Silvermoon slightly tighter as the rest of the wall caved in on them. The weight crushed his doorwings, making one get pressed uncomfortably flat to his back. The other was bent unnaturally outwards. He counted to five, and listened for the jet engines to fade away. Then he used his arm to shove the wreckage off them. The weight strained his arm cable, but he paid no mind to the pain. Instead, he turned to Silvermoon and dug her out of the debris.

She coughed, spitting dust out of her vents. Clinging to Prowl's arm for support, he saw a huge gash in her leg, where something had cut through her armor. He attempted to lead her out into the street, but stopped when she gasped in pain.

"I think it went down to my protoform," she mumbled, massaging her leg. "But no energon lines were punctured. Weird."

"Can you walk at all?" Prowl asked. "We need to get out of here. If they come back, we are scrap." His voice was tinged with desperateness. His doorwings throbbed.

She shook her helm. "Not without going really slow." He thought for a moment, then scooped her up and carried her bridal style, making her yelp. "Prowl!" she protested.

"We need to get moving," he said curtly. He stepped over some fallen ceiling panels and started down the road. He tried a comm. again, and this time, he got through.

**.:Optimus. The decepticons have attacked and destroyed Praxus. We need immediate transport and medical help.:. -Prowl**

Optimus' reply was slow-coming and groggy, indicating that Prowl had pulled his leader out of recharge.

**.:They did what?! I am sending Skyfire and Ratchet to you now. Look for any survivors that you can.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:Yes, sir.:. -Prowl**

He cut the link and stopped walking, hearing a quiet call for help. Looking around, he realized they were at Norika's housing unit.

"Do you hear that?" Silvermoon asked quietly. Prowl nodded and set her carefully on the ground. He unspaced his acid pellet rifle and approached the unit.

Scanning over the rubble heap, he found a signal. It indicated the 'bot was trapped under a beam. He shifted the pile with his pede and aimed the gun in it. "Norika?" he asked.

"I'm here!" came the faint reply. "Get me out!" He set the rifle on an available nearby surface and began to dig her out. She emerged coughing a klik later. Prowl offered her a servo and pulled her out.

Once she was free of the pile, Prowl watched her look back at the rubble. "My Sire is still in there." Prowl quickly swept the place over in a scan, but came up with no signals.

"I am afraid he is now offline," he told her. Norika shuttered her optics, faceplates clear of all emotion except mourning. Then she onlined her optics and muttered something about mourning later. Prowl cleared a trail back to the street, grabbing his rifle on the way. He could hear Norika shuffling behind him.

Reaching Silvermoon, Prowl stooped down to pick her up again, situating himself so she was supported, but his rifle was still in his servo. Norika appeared next to him, making Silvermoon jump. "Silvermoon! Are you okay?" Norika gasped. Silvermoon shook her helm weakly.

"My protoform was punctured on my leg. I can't walk."

Prowl felt Norika gaze at him and see what his damage was. His doorwings flicked uncomfortably out of instinct, making pain shoot down his spinal structure and him grimace. He started walking, headed for the docks. That was where Skyfire would most likely land, whenever he made it to the ruined city.

Thinking of how his hometown was now ruins made pain shoot through Prowl's spark. He would never again be able to return home. Well, a home that was still standing.

* * *

The trek to the docks was uneventful, aside from another stop at a scrapped unit. They uncovered another mech designated Circuit, one that Norika knew. They talked in hushed voices. Prowl paid them no mind, choosing to sweep any buildings they passes in scans for life signals. In the last unit before the dock, he picked up on something small. It was a weak signal, meaning that the 'bot was most likely almost offline.

Prowl set Silvermoon down again, and she hefted herself up onto a crate that was in the street. The SIC went to the signal's origin and began digging. He uncovered a piece of metal that looked like it had been torn of somebot's arm, and it was bright aqua, although a little beat up. Then Circuit joined him and helped. In no time, they uncovered the source of the signal. A dying femme lay in the wreckage, and she looked up at the, pitifully.

"I won't be online much longer," she rasped. "I can see the light..."

Prowl exchanged a slightly unease glance with the mech to the left of him. The femme attempted to speak again, but began hacking up energon.

"Let me fix you-" Prowl began, but he was cut off.

"No! I'm already dying. Take my creation, my Bluestreak. Promise me you'll protect him..." she lifted out a sparkling that was a shade of blue. He shuttered his optics at the change of lighting. Prowl realized the femme's signal had been shielding her sparkling's. He hesitantly reached out and grasped the mechling gingerly. Prowl started to pull away, but the femme didn't let go. "Promise me!" she rasped.

"I promise." With that, the femme adopted a softer look on her faceplates and her optics dimmed as her spark faded. Her grasp on the sparkling went limp, and her servo fell off him. Prowl pulled the sparkling designated Bluestreak out of the hole and watched his actions. The little mech looked back down at his carrier and reached out to her.

"I am sorry, Bluestreak," Prowl whispered in the sparkling's audio receiver. "She is gone." The sparkling looked up at the mech who was holding him, faint comprehension lighting up his young optics. Prowl noted that Bluestreak was almost due for a youngling frame upgrade.

Bluestreak glanced back down at his offline carrier, then reached for Prowl. The SIC complied and cradled the sparkling to his chestplates. Bluestreak buried his helm in Prowl's chestplates, and the tactician could feel small drops of energon leaking from Bluestreak's optics, dripping down onto Prowl's Autobot insignia.

The SIC stepped back over some debris and headed back for the road. Silvermoon's optics lit up when she saw the sparkling. Then they roamed back over to Prowl. He knelt down by her. Prowl watched Silvermoon's optics ask the silent question of Bluestreak's creators. The SIC shook his helm. Her optics dulled a bit at the answer.

"I can take the sparkling," Norika offered. Prowl nodded, and she reached for Bluestreak. However, Prowl felt the sparkling dig his tiny servo between to armor plates and grab some wires, effectively making Norika stop pulling at Prowl's wince.

"He has a hold of my wires," Prowl said quietly. She smirked.

"Looks like somebot's attached to you now," she murmured, then went to stand by her mech friend again. Prowl looked down at Silvermoon, wondering how he could carry both of them. Then he got an idea.

Turning his helm downwards, he whispered into the sparkling's audio receiver, "Will you crawl onto my shoulder for a moment?" Bluestreak looked up at him, sniffled, let go of the wires (which he was still holding), and moved to the SIC shoulder. Then Prowl picked up Silvermoon again.

"Prowl, I can walk!" she protested. "Besides, you have..." she trailed off, looking at the sparkling.

"Bluestreak," Prowl offered, right as the sparkling slid down his shoulder onto Silvermoon's tank plating. He curled up, much like a Praxia would. "Looks like you are stuck now," Prowl smirked. She stuck out her glossa, then returned her attention to stroking Bluestreak's helm, lulling him into recharge.

Once again, they headed for the docks, and this time, they encountered no bot else. The second moon was beginning to set, and Prowl knew it would be another groon before dawn, and Skyfire, arrived. Reaching a relatively clear place by the docks, the group sat down, waiting for rescue to arrive. Prowl and Silvermoon argued quietly for a klik about letting her sit on her own. Prowl won, meaning she had to stay sitting on his lap, in case he needed to pick her up quickly. Bluestreak was still on her. Prowl didn't mind the extra weight, knowing that telling Silvermoon would make her immediately move away. Instead, they remained silent, waiting.

After three breems had gone by, Silvermoon's helm drooped and landed on Prowl's chestplates with a dull clang. "Do you mind?" she mumbled.

"No, recharge," Prowl whispered back. In reply, she offlined her optics and joined Bluestreak in stasis. Prowl ignored the other two 'bots laughing and whispering quietly.

* * *

Over half a groon later, Prowl saw Skyfire's white shuttle form on the horizon. The sun had just started rising, bathing the sky in a soft orange color. He lightly shook Silvermoon's shoulder, waking her up. "They're almost here," he said, taking care to not wake Bluestreak. She nodded and shuttered her optics a few times, forcing her need to recharge at the moment to be put on standby. She started to get up, then winced.

"Was I on you the entire time?!" she whisper-yelled. He nodded.

"Do not worry, you are not too heavy," he assured her. The worst pain he had was from his doorwings, not her. She glowered at him nonetheless. Seeing Norika and the mech a feet feet away and in recharge, she picked up a fallen piece of rubble and took aim. It soared through the air and landed on Norika's leg before Prowl could stop her. The femme jerked a little, but didn't wake up. Silvermoon picked up another one, but Prowl grabbed it and tossed it behind him. "I will rouse them," he said.

"Spoil-sport," she pouted, but he could see the laughter in her optics. He stood up without warning, making Silvermoon lurch and grab onto his shoulder. "Slag, a little warning next time?" she whispered. He just grinned at her and walked over to the two recharging 'bots. Using his pede, he lightly tapped them until they woke up.

"Wha' goin' on?" Circuit mumbled sleepily. Norika wasn't as groggy.

"They are almost here," Prowl responded. But this time, Skyfire was almost to the city, and Prowl could see that he was flying at very fast speeds. Norika and Circuit stood up and all of them went to the docking station. In no time, Skyfire was close enough to land, and he did so with grace, despite how tired he had to be. His loading door opened and no bot came out. They all went inside. Norika and Circuit sat down, leaning against the wall.

"Ratchet will be out momentarily," a soft voice spoke, and Prowl and Silvermoon knew it was Skyfire. However, Norika and Circuit didn't and they jumped.

"Thank you, Skyfire," Prowl replied. Then another door opened, and Ratchet stomped out into the barren room.

"Why did those slaggin' decepticreeps have to attack now!? First the fraggin' virus, then the attack, and now..." Ratchet ranted, keeping up with gusto. His tirade made Bluestreak wake up. Silvermoon, who he was still sitting on, reached out and stroked his helm.

"Ratchet," Silvermoon said softly. He didn't stop. "Ratchet! RATCHET!" He finally stopped and looked at her. "Will you please shut up? There's a sparkling present here!" That made the medic look down at her tank and take in the blue sparkling, who seemed to shrink under the imposing mech's gaze. "Shh, it's okay," Silvermoon crooned to him while he shook. "No bot's gonna hurt you." He looked at Silvermoon trustingly for a moment, then reached out and touched her faceplates.

"Primus," Ratchet breathed. Then he paused to take in the sight of Prowl and Silvermoon. "Where are you carrying her?"

"Shrapnel to the leg," Prowl said, not taking his optics off Bluestreak. "It punctured her protoform. Ratchet growled.

"Every time... goes... gets hurt," Ratchet growled under his breath. Then he straightened up a bit. "Who else has injuries?"

"I have a twisted back cable," Circuit said.

"Crushed ankle," Norika shrugged.

"Bluestreak is low on energon and has a few energon lines punctured. I have a strained arm cable and my doorwings were crushed," Prowl added. The SIC almost swore he saw Ratchet's optic twitch at the list.

"As well a numerous cuts and chips," the medic mumbled. "You first." Circuit got up and followed Ratchet into the make-shift med bay just as Skyfire took off. Prowl set Silvermoon down and sat next to her. Bluestreak realized he was not in Prowl's hold anymore and scampered out of Silvermoon's grasp and crawled into Prowl's lap. He knew a little surprise decorated on his faceplates. He looked at Silvermoon, wondering if she would be offended.

She chuckled. "Somebot's clingy," she commented. Prowl allowed a ghost of a smile to form on his faceplates. Feeling something scraping his chestplates, Prowl looked down and saw Bluestreak tracing the Autobot insignia. He looked up into Prowl's optics and smiled, melting Prowl's spark.

* * *

"I'll have to put you in a medically induced stasis for this," Ratchet warned. Silvermoon nodded, and he injected the sedative. They were in the medical bay in the base, and Ratchet was looking over his last patient, Silvermoon. Jazz had arrived moments ago, toting some low grade energon that Ratchet had asked for. Prowl saw Jazz's visor light up at the sight of Bluestreak, and his newly repaired doorwings stiffened.

On the berth, Silvermoon dropped into stasis, her hand going limp around Bluestreak, who was sitting next to her. He squeaked at this, obviously remembering how his carrier had done the same thing, and presuming Silvermoon was offline, too. He stood up wobbly and placed his small servos on her, squeaking at her. Prowl approached him, placing a servo on Bluestreak's back.

"She's not offline," he told him. "She's just recharging. See?" Prowl pointed at the monitor that was marking her sparkbeat. It was pulsing steadily, creating waves on the screen. Bluestreak watched the monitor for a moment, then looked back down at Silvermoon. He pressed his audio receiver near her spark chamber, listening to the sound of her spark. He vented in relief when he found it. Prowl turned back to Ratchet when he suddenly remembered the way Bluestreak's carrier had lain when she went offline, and compared how worried Bluestreak was that Silvermoon was offline. His spark fluttered at the thought of her actually offlining.

Jazz started to approach her, looking to see Bluestreak up close, when Prowl's instinctive protection protocols kicked in. He saw Jazz as a threat, and he crouched down a bit, growling viciously. Jazz looked at him, confused and slightly frightened of his superior.

"Slaggit," Ratchet muttered, connecting the dots. He approached Prowl, who turned and growled at him. "Relax," Ratchet said. "I'm only a medic." He pointed at the medic symbol emblazoned on his arm. Prowl stopped growling, but watched him suspiciously until he was at the berth. Then Prowl turned back to Jazz. Once Prowl turned away, Ratchet unspaced a wrench and whacked Prowl upside the head with it, making him fall over.

Jazz winced. "Did ya hafta hit _tha' _hard?"

Ratchet shrugged. "Knocked his gears back into place, didn't it?" The wrench was set on the table next to Silvermoon, just as Prowl sat up and shook his helm.

"Ow," he said, putting a servo to his helm. He stood up, and Ratchet glanced calmly at him. "What happened?"

"Yes, it's her," Ratchet said, ignoring Prowl's question. It took Prowl a moment to figure out what the medic was talking about, but then his optic twitched. Ratchet's hit must've knocked something into place, because Prowl was able to not glitch, but he came pretty close. Instead of glitching, Prowl went on a rampage.

"No, no, no! 'Bots die in battle! I can't lose her!" he muttered, losing his cool as he hurried around the room. He flipped over a table, knocking some tools to the ground. "I won't lose her! There has to be another way!" Another table was sent whirling to the ground.

Jazz watched Prowl with an amused gleam on his visor. Bluestreak had a look of surprise mixed with awe on his faceplates. Ratchet looked indifferent.

Prowl picked up Ratchet's wrench and threw it across the room, leaving a dent in the wall. This made Ratchet look slightly angry. No bot touched his wrench without punishment. Prowl stalked across the room and kicked a medical berth's leg, making it bend a little. The the SIC punched the wall. "I. Won't. Lose. Her." He growled.

Then Ratchet went over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Calm down!" the medic yelled. "No bot's gonna take her away!" They both looked over to the berth. Jazz was watching them, still confused.

Even in the heat of the moment, the sight of Bluestreak miming his movements and then punching the berth brought a smile to Prowl's normally emotionless faceplates.

* * *

**A/N: 1) Aww, sparkling cuteness! They're just too hard to resist! XD Should I keep Prowl and Silvermoon as his adopted creators or make somebot else have him?**

**2) I'm kinda surprised... Nobody knew it would be Praxus' destruction? I thought everybot knew it was destroyed...**

**3) PROWL FINALLY KNOWS IT'S SILVERMOON! ON WITH THE STORY! ^.^**


	19. If Everyone Cared

**Author's Note: Merry Christmas everybot!**

**Thanks to **Chippr** and **Squidlydoo **for adding this fic to their favs and/or alerts!**

**Song: If Everyone Cared by Nickelback**

Tavia99:** Ok, and here you go!**

Portal3plz: **Ok, they will be.**

LunarShadowAngel: **Thanks! Ok, just to keep it cute. And yeah, but Ratchet had to get Prowl back to 'normal'!**

Bee4ever: **Thanks, and ok!**

VectorPrime155: **Yes, Bluestreak is pretty clingy. :3 And Prowl will be 'getting somewhere with Silvermoon' a lot more pretty soon!**

Chippr: **Thanks, here's the next part! And yeah, Prowl can get pretty weird when he's on a rampage. :3**

Kae88: **Yeah, FYI: I put in the cybercat and Bluestreak for his family unit. I don't think anyone else noticed, though. He'll have a sparkmate, creation, and pet! XD**

Squidlydoo: **Ok, and thanks!**

MaKayla McKinzie: **Haha, yeah!**

Autobot-Blurr 221:** OK. HERE YOU GO!**

* * *

Prowl onlined his optics and stared at his plain ceiling.

_How am I going to tell her? How will she react? _Wondering about this, the SIC lay there, not feeling like working on the data pads that had been piling up during the orn-end trip to Praxus. Recalling the destruction of the city made him shutter his optics in pain. His home was gone. It had taken vorns to build, and it was reduced to rubble in a matter of groons. Along with the 'bots who lived there, numbering in the thousands. All of it, the academies, the gardens, the marketplace; all gone. He could never go there again.

Energon tears threatened to surface at the thought. His servo moved up to wipe at his still-dry optics. They hadn't watered like that since he'd shut down his emotions. Suddenly angry that he couldn't control his programs, the mech shot up from his berth and stalked over to the desk.

Checking his HUD, Prowl realized he was up pretty early, despite Ratchet's order for him to rest. Combined with Optimus' order of not working since Makeshift's attack and the Praxus incident, neither wanted him working yet. But seeing as Silvermoon was still in a medical stasis, the Prime had said he could do desk work.

Before Prowl could sit down, his HUD pinged with a comm. from Ironhide.

**.:Prowl, we have a situation. Get your aft to my quarters.:. -Ironhide**

**.:Acknowledged.:. -Prowl**

Prowl shook his helm to clear away the peculiar thoughts, then headed to the weapon specialist's quarters.

* * *

Shrill shrieks rang off the walls, a slight echo following them. Bluestreak screwed up his small faceplates and howled again. He wailed, crying for the mech that had found him. Ironhide vented and rubbed his huge faceplates with a servo.

Chromia looked at her sparkmate. "Why don't you just comm. Prowl?" she asked softly, knowing 'Hide would still be able to hear her over the sparkling. "Bluestreak obviously doesn't want to be with anybot else."

The black 'bot vented again and then complied. After his optics refocused on the room, Ironhide headed to the crying sparkling.

Upon seeing his approach, Bluestreak howled even louder. Whether it was his size that intimidated the sparkling, Bluestreak not knowing him, or something else, Ironhide didn't know, but the mech did back off. Wondering why the mechling was suddenly all worked up, Ironhide turned to Chromia for support. She smirked slightly at the helpless look in his optics and started for Bluestreak. The sparkling didn't stop crying, but he didn't get louder either.

Ironhide sat down on the couch with a huff, watching his bonded croon over the bluish-gray mechling. Bluestreak had been entrusted to them last lunar cycle when Skyfire had come back from Praxus. Prime had said that the mechling needed a bit of stability after witnessing his city's destruction. The sparkling had been fine, except for the occasional whimper. But then he'd started wailing, waking up both Ironhide and Chromia.

A knock sounded at the door. Ironhide got up and answered it. The door slid open with a whoosh, making Bluestreak turn. Prowl stepped in from the shadowed hallway, ducked his head for a nano-klik, exchanged a quick word with Ironhide, then made his way to the sparkling.

Bluestreak stopped howling and his watery optics lit up. He reached for Prowl, squeaking, "Pow! Pow!" A smirk found its way to Prowl's faceplates, and he lifted up the mechling.

Ironhide rubbed his audio receivers. "Thanks Primus he stopped! He's been howling for a few breems now!" Bluestreak nestled into Prowl's chestplates as the SIC turned to Ironhide and raised an optic ridge.

"Why was he screaming?"

Chromia walked over to her sparkmate. "We don't know. But it might have something to do with missing you," she said. He turned his curious gaze to the femme. "Yes, I actually said that."

"Well somebot can actually miss me," Prowl smirked. "Do you mind if I take him back to my office with me?"

"No, go ahead," Chromia said. "It's not like he wants to be here anyways." Prowl nodded and turned to the door.

"Thanks for watching Blue," he said.

"Anytime," Ironhide grunted as the door slid shut.

* * *

Prowl sat down in his chair and picked up a data pad. A pressure on his leg made him look down at Bluestreak, who was looking at Prowl, silently asking to be held again. Prowl picked him up and set the mechling in his lap. Bluestreak yawned and laid down, intending to recharge. Prowl smiled at the sight. Then he returned to the data pad.

A groon later, the door to Prowl's office slid open without warning. Knowing it was Jazz, the SIC didn't even bother to look up. His doorwings sensed the TIC stride over to his desk and perch on it, in that annoying way only Jazz could get away with. Then he noticed Bluestreak onlined his optics and peered over the desk sleepily.

Prowl looked up and saw Jazz jump, not expecting the mechling to be in Prowl's office. He grinned a nano-klik later, though, and said, "Well, well, well. Prowler's got 'imself ah sparklin'."

"His designation is Bluestreak," Prowl said. The mechling looked up at the sound of his name.

"Is 'e the one ya found yester-cycle?" Jazz asked. A nod was his answer. "'E's pretty cute. Are ya 'is caretakah?"

"Not officially. He does not seem to want to be with anybot else, though," Prowl replied. "Can I help you with something?"

"Ah yah. What was that abou' in the med bay last luna' cycle? Ya seemed pretty worked up ova somethin'," Jazz said.

Prowl's doorwings stiffened. Of course Jazz had noticed. The SIC wouldn't be surprised if the entire base had heard his meltdown. Bluestreak noticed Prowl's frame shake slightly. His own tiny doorwings twitched in confusion as the mechling looked at the tactician.

"Yes. It is none of your concern, though. Do not worry about it," Prowl answered, trying to pass it off as nothing. He looked back down at his data pad, hoping Jazz would take the hint and drop it. Whether Jazz was dense or just didn't care, Prowl didn't know, but he was persistent.

"Didn't look like nothin' ta meh. Ya were almost screamin'. Ya don' normally do that kinda thin', Prowler. Wha's wrong?"

Prowl vented and set the pad down, knowing Jazz wouldn't leave him alone until he got some answers. The black and white 'bot pondered how to answer him. _How does 'Hey, Jazz. Silvermoon's my sparkmate,' sound? _Prowl thought.

"WHA'?!" Jazz exclaimed. Prowl winced.

"Did I just say that out loud?" The startled look Jazz gave him was answer enough.

"How long have ya known this fer?" Jazz inquired.

"Just since last lunar cycle."

"But it sounded like ya and Hatchet have suspected it fer ah while, am Ah righ'?"

Prowl nodded. "But I do not know how to tell her. Or if I want to."

"O' course ya need to tell 'er! Ya feel this in yar spark, don' ya? If it chose 'er, then she probably feels the same way," the TIC said.

"I do not know. We have been friends for ever. What if this ruins our friendship?" Prowl asked, unsure of himself.

"Well star' ou' with small steps. See where ya get," Jazz coached. "Ah could tell 'er, if ya want."

"No, I will," Prowl replied. Primus only knew what disasters could happen if Jazz delivered the news to her. "Eventually." Jazz vented. He wasn't getting Prowl any more confident. He said he didn't want Jazz to tell her, but he didn't say Jazz couldn't give her a nudge or drop hints. Jazz grinned at the thought and stood to leave.

"Jazz," Prowl said warningly. He didn't like the look of that grin. "Don't go getting any ideas." Jazz stopped suddenly, and he stood still for a nano-klik. Then he straightened up.

"Hatchet jus' commed meh. Silvamoo's awake. Ah'll beat ya there!" Jazz took off out the door, intending to get Prowl to the med bay and set them up.

"Oh no you don't!" Prowl cried, getting a firm hold on Bluestreak, then jumping up and following Jazz at a fast trot.

* * *

The med bay was relatively quiet and empty when Ratchet stood to go back out in the patient area. Or it was, until the door opened with a bang, revealing Jazz coming in at a run. He had a huge grin plastered on his faceplates, and he was looking back over his shoulder at his pursuer. Ratchet paused, wondering who was chasing Jazz this time. Then he shuttered his optics, seeing Prowl chasing him. But he didn't look mad. In fact, the SIC looked almost happy. Happy crossed with annoyance. And Bluestreak was sitting in his arms, watching his surroundings pass at a blurred speed.

Jazz rushed past Ratchet and said a quick greeting, which Ratchet ignored, then stopped in front of Silvermoon's berth. She looked at him with surprise written in her optics, wondering what was going on. "Silvamoo'! Ya gotta know! Ya've-" Jazz was cut off when Prowl dumped Bluestreak unceremoniously in a heap on Silvermoon's lap, then slapped a servo over Jazz's mouthplates.

"No you don't," Prowl growled playfully at Jazz. "You are keeping that little piece of information to yourself, unless you want me to tell Sideswipe who really stole his high grade collection."

Jazz's optics seemed to bulge a bit, then he twisted out of Prowl's grip and said, "Ok, Ah give! Ah won't tell 'er!" He held up his servos in a surrendering gesture.

"Good," Prowl said, patting Bluestreak on the helm apologetically. The mechling glared at him, and cuddled closer to Silvermoon. The femme looked at Bluestreak bemusedly, then turned to Prowl.

"Tell me what?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied, reverting back to an almost emotionless state. Silvermoon looked at him suspiciously before looking back down at the mechling, who was still pointedly ignoring Prowl. Praxia was curled around Bluestreak and sniffing at him. The cyberkitten had been sleeping on her tank, but was awakened when Bluestreak had been shoved next to her. Ratchet, who had been watching the entire time, chose that moment to scan Prowl. The SIC looked at the medic, his gaze inquiring the purpose of the scan when he wasn't at a check up. Ratchet ignored him in favor of the results.

**.:Prowl, have you been having any trouble controlling yourself?:. -Ratchet**

**.:Only my emotions. Why?:. -Prowl**

**.:Your spark has gone into almost a spazzing mode, messing with your emotions to try and get your attention that it wants its mate.:. -Ratchet**

**.:Acknowledged. Is this bad for it?:. -Prowl**

**.:No, but it may get annoying after a while, and you may develop uncharacteristic tendencies that make 'bots suspicious. The only way to fix it would be to fulfill your spark's needs.:. -Ratchet**

**.:I told Jazz, and I'll tell you. I am not telling Silvermoon yet. I do not know how and I do not know how she will react.:. -Prowl**

The SIC punctuated his words with a glare in the medic's direction. Ratchet's optics grew brighter as he broke the link, and he glared right back at the tactician. The look in his optics said, "You'll have to tell her sometime." Then Ratchet told Silvermoon she was fit to go, before turning back to retreat to his office.

* * *

Prowl held Bluestreak, who had forgiven the older mech once he'd realized Prowl was going to leave without him. Silvermoon followed the two mechs back to Prowl's office, carrying Praxia and still wondering what Jazz had been talking about. "You're not going to tell me, are you?" she asked as Prowl punched in the code.

"Nope. You will probably know sooner or later anyways," Prowl replied, walking into his office. He was still wondering why Ratchet had brought up telling her, and he had a sinking suspicion that the medic would tell Silvermoon if Prowl didn't. So would Jazz. They might even get to the point of teaming up, which was very unlikely. But Prowl made a mental note to protect Silvermoon from Ratchet beating the news into her with his wrench of doom. And to keep himself away from the same wrench until she'd been told.

* * *

**A/N: And the vote last chapter was 100% in favor of keeping Prowl and Silvermoon as Bluestreak's adopted creators, so expect to see more of the cute little mechling later on!**


	20. I'm Just the Messenger

Author's** Note: Anopther chapter done! We're in the twenties now! Expect the next few updates to be a bit slower than normal. My school's weird and has finals AFTER christmas break, rather than BEFORE. *faceplams* Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

**Song: I'm Just the Messanger by Steve Jablonsky. Used in the Transformers Dark of the Moon Score.**

**Thanks to **namae1809 **for adding this fic to their favs!**

Bee4ever: **If only he would. :p**

Kae88: **Yeah, Bluestreak will be a bit of a handful. Thanks!**

Squidlydoo: **Thanks!**

LunarShadowAngel: **Yeah, finally! Thanks, and here you go!**

* * *

"Two more kliks," Silvermoon muttered sleepily. She rolled onto her tank-plating and buried her helm into her pillow. Her sensors registered that it was barely mid-morning, and she should have been on her way to Prowl's office for her daily work.

"The decepticons are not going to wait," Prowl replied.

"'Cons?" she asked, perking up.

"They are on their way to Tarn." His voice held a tinge of exasperation, mixed with annoyance.

"Why didn't Blaster play the decepticon alert?" she inquired, sitting up and throwing her legs over the side of her berth.

"He did. You recharged right through it," the SIC answered, sounding slightly amused. He offered her a servo and pulled her up. Then he dropped it and offered her a cube of energon from his subspace. She accepted it and downed it quickly. The empty cube was tossed into the trash near her door.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" she said, grabbing his servo and running out the door. She didn't miss how her spark fluttered at the contact. Neither did he.

* * *

"Tarn, huh? Never been there," Silvermoon said in an undertone to Prowl. He was sitting next to her, wiping down his acid pellet rifle. They had boarded Skyfire, who was transporting the officers to the city. The rest of the warriors were divided into two other non-sentient transport shuttles, flying right behind Skyfire in a v-formation

"I have, once," Prowl said, glancing up from his work briefly. "It is not a very good city. A lot of black market dealing goes on there, and some of the best gladiators come from Tarn. They are known for their skills in the gladiatorial pits."

"So why did you go there then?" Silvermoon couldn't imagine any reason for him to go to a city that was supposedly that bad. Briefly wondering if that was where Fireshower had come from, she turned back to Prowl in time to hear his next words.

"I was stationed there during my Enforcer training. It is a good city to practice in, but very dangerous."

After that, silence fell, save for the hum of Skyfire's engines. No bot seemed to want to make optic-contact with each other. Everybot was preparing for the upcoming battle in their own way. Ironhide was polishing his cannons until they gleamed with their own light. Kup was silently looking out a window at the shuttle that held his wrecker group, mouthing words to himself that looked suspiciously like he was practicing battle orders. Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime were having their own staring contest, looking like they were speaking through optic movements. Perceptor was reading a data pad, and Jazz had his optics offlined, listening to music.

Silvermoon studied the group silently, wondering if they had done this so many times before that this was now a pre-battle routine. Knowing the war had been going on long enough for this to actually be normal, she looked down at her servos, which lay in her lap. Her train of thought turned to her conflicting emotions for her best friend. Why did these confusing thoughts have to happen now, and what did they mean? Surely it couldn't be that she was finding Prowl as a suitable sparkmate? That would just be awkward. But then again, she had known him for a while now, and they had been inseparable before.

A loud whistle from outside broke her musing, and Silvermoon glanced out the window to see the city of Tarn directly underneath them. Blaster fire flashed from all over. 'Bots were on roofs, in alleyways, and lying on the ground. Twisted buildings were what made up the city, and several of them were blackened husks or on the ground in ruins. In the center of the city was a raised platform, and it had a metal arc twisting over it in a decorative way.

Skyfire suddenly banked, making Kup almost fall over. The old wrecker commander grabbed onto Ultra Magnus' arm at the last second, preventing him from going tumbling. A missile streaked by outside the window and struck a building, making chunks of reddish metal break off in the explosion. The femme stared outside, catching sight of Megatron. He had his fusion cannon in his servo, and it was aimed at Skyfire. He fired it several times, and it shot glowing blue blasts. Skyfire managed to evade all but the last shot. It went through his wing, making him grunt in pain. Black smoke came from the shot, blowing away from the wind going over the moving shuttle.

Skyfire sent out a turret that was mounted on the belly of his shuttle-form. A few well placed shots had Megatron ducking to evade them. He used the arc on the platform for cover.

"Land, Skyfire. We will continue this on the ground," Optimus ordered quietly. Skyfire descended, angling toward the ground at a steep rate. Behind him, the other two shuttles were piloted in a similar fashion. Optimus stood and went to the door. He intended to exit before the rest of his officers. Skyfire landed, pulling up the nose of his shuttle mode to make it quick and smooth.

The last thing on Silvermoon's processor before she exited Skyfire was she hoped Bluestreak wouldn't be too unhappy with Prowl not at base. He'd been left in the care of Norika and Chromia, the latter of the two recently discovered she was carrying and rendered unfit for missions.

* * *

Optimus Prime gave a battle cry as he leapt up and swung his energon blade at Megatron's helm. The decepticon warlord parried it with his own blade at the last nano-klik.

"Optimus," he sneered. "How did you like my surprise for Praxus?" A swing of his blade made the sharp edge catch on Optimus' blade, and the force of it pushed him back a few feet. The back of his left pede hung off the edge of the small, raised platform they stood on.

"How could you, Megatron? You kill your own species for your enjoyment!" Optimus used his free servo to punch Megatron in the gut. The former gladiator caught his brother's fist with his own free servo, their extended arms nearly brushing the metal arc that rose above the platform. With a snarl, Megatron twisted Optimus' arm backwards.

"That was merely a message to those who think they can escape this war on neither side," Megatron said, ignoring Optimus' grunts of pain as his whole frame was twisted awkwardly to avoid his limb snapping off. It felt like fire was shooting down his energon lines, originating from his arm.

"So you... would destroy... innocent life?" Optimus grunted, heaving to throw Megatron off of him.

"They are not as innocent as you think they are!" Megatron hissed, drawing back and rubbing at his faceplates where Optimus punched him. The two brothers continued to exchange blows for a breem.

"Enough! I have other business to attend to this cycle." The warlord paused as a long, painful scream rang out over the battlefield. "And it appears we have what we came for." Optimus started to turn and seek out the 'bot that had screamed, but Megatron pushed him to the ground and powered up his fusion cannon again, drawing the Prime's attention. "You have been a thorn in my side for too long now, Optimus!" It was aimed directly at Optimus' spark chamber, and time seemed to slow down. The inside of the cannon's barrel got brighter, and Optimus couldn't seem to get his frame to obey him and move. Just when the cannon was about to shoot, a white blur slammed into the side of Megatron, throwing off his aim. The shot barely skimmed Optimus' side, rather than piercing his chest.

The warlord turned with a snarl to Prowl, who had been the one to pounce on him and mess up his aim. The cannon powered up again, right as Prowl grabbed Optimus and hauled him to his pedes. The two took off to a nearby building for cover. Shots from the cannon rang out, striking the building. It was already weakened from the firepower before, and this proved to be too much. It crumbled and fell, creating a huge dust cloud. Megatron continued to fire into the rubble, his shots' noise drowned out by the sound of the building collapsing.

Everybot on the battlefield turned to look at the commotion. The noise finally stopped, leaving a ringing silence in its wake. Megatron broke it by yelling, "Decepticons! Rise up!" All present 'bots that called themselves a part of the faction transformed and sped off, either by land or air.

When the dust from the building had finally settled, Optimus emerged from the shadows, carrying a limp frame in his arms. The scream from a certain blue and silver femme would haunt him for the nest few orns.

"PROWL! NO!"

* * *

Prowl glanced up from the mech he had just downed to see the blue frame of Soundwave pounce on Jazz and pin him down. Both of their optics went dim as the 'con hacked into the TIC's processor, and Jazz visibly trembled at the force of the mental attack. Prowl knew Jazz was strong mentally, but almost no bot could stand up to Soundwave.

Prowl parried an attack from another 'con that chose that moment to charge the SIC. The orange mech snarled and growled at Prowl, only to have the butt of the acid rifle slammed into his helm painfully. He fell with a howl, holding his helm.

The tactician took aim with his acid pellet rifle and fired a well-placed shot on Soundwave's frame. But he was too late. Jazz's horrible scream echoed around the battlefield as his mind broke, and the pain from it forced him into stasis. Silvermoon crouched over Jazz, checking his primaries. Prowl could tell from her expression that it was serious.

Soundwave turned his attention to Prowl, and his emotionless faceplates glinted in the sunlight. "Frenzy: Eject," the 'con said in a monotone. His symboite complied, and the spindly 'bot charged at Prowl. The SIC shook the mini-con off him and turned at the sound of a cannon powering up. Megatron had Optimus pinned on the ground, and his cannon was aimed and ready for the final shot.

Thinking fast, Prowl darted around another attack from Frenzy and ran to the two brothers. He jumped over a 'bot that was lying on the ground, leaking energon, and slammed his frame into Megatron, barely managing to move the hunk of metal. But it was enough. The shot missed its target, and Prowl knew the warlord would be out for energon now. His energon, specifically. Prowl stooped down and hauled Optimus to his pedes, then they both took off for cover in a nearby building that was an off-white color.

His doorwings picked up on the incoming shots from Megatron as he ran, and Prowl dodged them, making it into the building safely. Optimus was hot on his heels. The walls shook around them from the force of Megatron's firepower. Prowl had time to turn and exchange a worried glance with his leader before a searing pain emanated from his side. Prowl took a staggering step backwards, then collapsed. He was aware of the building falling in around them and a lot of noise, but the pain was overpowering most of his consciousness.

Barely online, Prowl registered Optimus picking him up gingerly, and then a scream from somebot that could have only been Silvermoon. Then he fell offline.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry, it's a bit shorter than normal. But I wanted to stop there and get it published today. OH NO, ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! Review!**


	21. Bleeding Love

**A/N: Wow, this chapter took me longer than expected. I don't really like the way this one came together, and that was part of the reason it took me so long. I still don't like it, but I figured I kept it from you all long enough.**

**The song for this chapter is Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis. There's lots of love in this chapter, even if it's kinda hard to tell. ^.^**

**Thanks to **Jazz Is My Lil Ninja**, **Sapphire-Serenity-Phoinex, freedom rings in a howl, **and **Faran PangkalHemat **for adding this fic to their alerts and/or favs!**

Bee4ever**: They'll be fine. They always are. :p But Prowl had to get hurt there for Silvermoon to realize something vital to the plotline.**

Kae88**: He had to offline then, the bullet almost pierced his spark chamber... But it does help the love later...**

Sapphire-Serenity-Phoinex**: Exactly.**

MaKayla McKinzie**: Don't worry! Here, read on!**

* * *

Silvermoon shuttered her optics tiredly at Bluestreak's latest cries. He'd been snuffling nonstop, ever since Prowl hadn't returned from the battle and she had. It was getting to the point to where she couldn't even focus on the data pads she was supposed to be doing to cover for Prowl. Her servo rested on Praxia, who was curled up on the desk next to her data pad.

"Where Pow?" Bluestreak almost screamed in between two cries. Venting, Silvermoon set down the data pad and held out her arms to the youngling. He stood on his wobbly pedes and toddled over to her. She lifted the mechling onto her lap and let him cuddle close to her chassis.

"Prowl got hurt in the last battle," she said slowly, letting Blue figure out what she was saying. "He's getting better with Ratchet."

"Pow wit Watchet?" he sniffed, his limited vocabulary straining the sentence. Chromia had taught him a few words while they had been away. Bluestreak had become slightly familiar with the medic.

"Yes. When he comes back online we can go see him, okay?"

"No! Swee now!" Bluestreak pushed away from her chest, surprising the femme with how much strength he had. He began to howl again. Silvermoon vented again, knowing pretty much nothing would get through to the mechling, except Prowl. Seeing as he was in stasis lock, it wasn't much help. Bluestreak hopped off her lap and curled up into a small ball on the floor, his tiny frame still wracking with sobs. Praxia jumped down and walked over to him, butting her nose into his side.

Thinking of Prowl in the med bay made the femme remember how she'd screamed when she'd seen Prowl's limp form at the battlefield. _What could it mean?_ She wondered, setting down the screaming Bluestreak. Mulling it over for a second, it dawned on her.

_No,_ she realized with rising horror. _I have a crush on my best friend!? Prowl!? Why!?_ Thinking about it made the feeling make sense. She had felt this way for a while, but she hadn't known what the feeling meant exactly.

Bluestreak screamed again, making her feel the need to offline her audio receptors. "Bluestreak, _please,_ could you quiet down? He'll be back!" she said softly. If anything, that made him cry harder. Venting the hardest she had yet, she stood up, making the chair scrape against the ground. She bent down and scooped up the howling mechling "Alright, that's it!"

This caused Bluestreak to stop crying and gain a scared look on his faceplates. He looked around fearfully. Silvermoon offered no explanation for her actions, instead marching from Prowl's office (making sure to leave Praxia safely inside), to the med bay. Bluestreak figured out where they were the moment the doors swept open. He started wriggling in Silvermoon's arms to be let down. She complied, letting how tired she really was be shown on her faceplates.

Ratchet looked up from welding the last of the minor wounds on Jazz shut to see this. Bluestreak ran across the floor on unsteady pedes and crawled up on the berth Prowl was stretched out on. The mech showed signs of recent weldings, and he was hooked up to several monitors. His optics were offline, and a monitor read that he was in a peaceful recharge. Bluestreak managed to get up to his mech creator-figure and curled up on top of Prowl's chest, right over his spark chamber.

"That was interesting," the medic commented, approaching Silvermoon.

"He wouldn't stop crying," she said, rubbing a servo over her faceplates tiredly.

"He must really like Prowl," the medic commented, setting down his welder and giving Jazz a once-over to make sure the mech was stable.

Silvermoon plopped down in a chair by Prowl's berth and vented. "Like no bot else," she replied. Ratchet came over to her and gave her a medical scan, ignoring her glare.

"Did you suffer any injuries that you know of?" he asked, looking at his results.

"Just blaster fire," she said, slouching and setting her faceplates in her servos. The medic could see she was fighting some inner turmoil, and left her alone. He headed back to his office, and the occupants of the room stayed in their positions for a long while.

* * *

She didn't know how long she'd sat there for, musing over her newfound feelings, but Silvermoon jolted out of her trance, lifting her helm from her servos when Jazz began to stir. The look on his faceplates broadcasted immense pain, and he gave a soft moan. "Ratchet!" she called, rising from the seat and running to Jazz's side.

The chartreuse 'bot came running from his office, wrench in servo. "What is it?"

She looked up from Jazz. "He's coming back online."

"Slag," he said, subspacing the wrench and walking over at a fast pace. "It's too early for that. His slaggin' self repair systems won't have had enough time to fix himself yet." Ratchet's servo moved to the drip that was hooked up to the saboteur, intending to infuse some medical stasis-inducing substance to the energon.

"Stop," said a soft voice near the door. Ratchet's servo hovered near the drip. He and Silvermoon turned to see Optimus Prime in the doorway.

"It's too early-" Ratchet started again, but Optimus cut him off, covering the distance between them in large strides.

"We need to know what Soundwave took from his mind. If he is in no life-threatening condition, let him online," the Prime ordered. Ratchet vented, but his servo lowered. Keeping his optics on the monitors for his vitals, Ratchet noted that Jazz sounded like he was in deep pain. He started to add some painkillers to the energon drip, but stopped when Optimus looked at him.

"They're only painkillers," Ratchet said. He continued when Optimus nodded.

Jazz slowly came online, and Silvermoon watched his servo go up to his helm.

"It feels like mah helm was run ovah by Megsy," he complained, onlining his optics. His optics trailed over the med bay around him, and he started to sit up, but Ratchet pushed him back down.

"Uh uh," he said. "You're not fit to move around yet. The only reason you're up is because Optimus wants to talk to you." Jazz looked at his leader after he heard Ratchet's words. His normally bright blue optics were dim to keep the lights from overheating his proccesor.

"Sho' thin'. Whatcha need, Prime?" Jazz asked, retaining his cool demeanor while rubbing his helm.

"What did Soundwave take from you at the battle?" Optimus asked.

"Uh," Jazz replied, offlining his optics to think. "The location a'... lemme think... Oh! Tha's it. The location a' the base fo' the femme's an' spahklin's.." he trailed off, optics growing wide. "...Slag." Silvermoon felt a growing sense of apprehension, and she looked at Optimus to see his optics grow slightly larger. He straitened up and turned to the door.

"Get some rest, Jazz," he said, before disappearing outside.

"Was tha' ah ordah?" Jazz asked uncertainly, looking at Ratchet. Silvermoon looked at the two mechs. Ratchet shrugged.

"I'm taking it as one," he said suddenly, flicking a switch to infuse the stasis-inducing medicine.

"No! Wait-" Jazz yelped. He didn't get to finish his thought, though, as his optics grew fuzzy, and his frame relaxed, falling back onto the berth. Silvermoon smiled, then turned to Ratchet.

"Will you keep an optic on Bluestreak for me?" she asked. "I need to see what Optimus is doing. Second-in-command stuff." She massaged her temple, still weary.

"I'll keep two on him, if I can spare them," Ratchet promised. She nodded and followed Optimus to the communications room.

* * *

"Blaster, open a line with the femme base," Optimus order, striding into the communications room with a pace that said he had a purpose. Said 'bot turned to his monitor immediately, not questioning his leader. The screen flickered on slowly, lighting up to reveal the waiting screen. Then it linked them through to the femme base. A 'bot that was clad in pink armor was standing in the view of the screen. She turned her helm to the screen and a bit surprised.

"Optimus?" she asked. "We aren't scheduled for a check-in for another two cycles."

"Elita," Prime bowed his helm in greeting, then jumped in on the conversation. "We were at a battle in Vos last solar cycle, and we received some horrible news. Soundwave hacked the location of your base from Jazz. You may be in immediate danger," Optimus summarized quickly. Elita paled a little. Optimus was aware of Silvermoon walking in then, and he presumed she would be filling in for Prowl, but the Prime didn't acknowledge her.

"What do you suggest we do? We don't have enough time to pull off a full-scale evacuation," Elita said.

Optimus pulled off some calculations and returned his attention to the femme commander. "Get everybot out that you can. The decepticons have been more lethal lately than they have been before. It's essential you get out now, while you still can."

She quickly nodded her helm, then turned to one side, giving some quick commands to a 'bot unseen to Optimus. The commander was interrupted by another femme rushing on-screen.

"Ma'am," the femme said urgently. "We're under attack!" Elita's optics widened.

"Slaggit!" she cursed. Focusing back on the screen, Elita said to Optimus, "If we don't make it out of this-"

"Do not say that," he cut her off. "You will, and we shall see each other again. I promise."

Her optics softened, and the two shared a silent moment. Then the whole building Elita was in shook, startling the femme commander. Her optics betrayed how scared she was, and she looked at Optimus for support. He gave her a soft smile, right before the screen exploded into a brilliant display of shades of orange and static.

"ELITA!"

* * *

Optimus stepped out of Skyfire's shuttle-mode and immediately scanned the wreckage of the femme base for any signs of life. All that greeted his scanners were empty sparkling and femme frames. Making his way to where he knew the destroyed communications room lay, the Prime made sure to keep an optic on his scanners for anybot else, but his main concern was finding Elita-1. To his relief, two signals were coming from the collapsed room that was his destination. Hurrying to the collapsed room, the Prime furiously dug through the pieces of ceiling on the ground, hoping to find Elita beneath.

His efforts were soon doubled by the help of Silvermoon, who had accompanied him on the journey. Together, the two 'bots lifted up fallen beams and pushed aside rubble, only to reveal the two similar frames that were still pulsing with life. The femme that was painted a deep cherry red, similar to Sideswipe's, looked up at Optimus. She was the one who was harmed the least of the two.

"Arcee," Optimus greeted in a monotone, much like Prowl's. She dipped her helm, then started to dig out her commander. With the help of the two femmes, Optimus was able to get Elita out quickly. He assessed the damage she had that he could see. She was leaking from too many places in her frame to count, and several pieces of metal were bent awkwardly. Her helm also had a rather large dent where some piece of metal had hit her. "I will take you to Ratchet, and you will be okay," he sad soothingly, making to pick up up to carry back to Skyfire.

"No, Optimus," she refused weakly, setting a servo on his arm. "I've got too much damage, and my spark chamber was crushed. I won't be online too much longer." Her optics flickered. She glance at the 'bot named Arcee quickly, and something seemed to pass between the two. The red femme turned and grabbed Silvermoon by the arm, dragging her gently away. Once the two could no longer hear the two commanders' words, Arcee stopped.

"Sorry," she said. "Elita wanted to have a moment alone with him."

"It's fine," Silvermoon said, looking back at the two. "Are they-?"

"Sparkmates? No. But they do have feelings for each other," Arcee summed up.

"Ah. You and Elita look alike. Are you sisters?" Silvermoon asked.

Arcee gave a curt nod. "We're all that we have left in our family. Elita, Chromia, and I."

Silvermoon nodded, choosing not to talk anymore. Arcee would probably want to focus on her dying sister, not meager attempts at small talk. Knowing this, Silvermoon looked back at Prime. Elita was positioned so she was leaning in her arms, resting her helm against his shoulder. He had his forehelm pressed to hers, and they looked deep into one anothers' optics.

Arcee frowned suddenly. "She's almost gone." Then the red sister took off, running back to her family member and leaping over the fallen debris. Silvermoon followed at a slower pace, letting the two 'bots that knew Elita say their goodbyes. She hesitated, making her way to their sides at the last possible nano-klik. She looked down at the offlining femme right as her optics faded to black for the last time.

Optimus made a keening noise that Silvermoon had never heard from another 'bot, and she shuttered her optics in respect.

* * *

**A/N: Well then, that's the first and last we'll hear from Elita-1. Sorry, I'm not very good with her character, but I am fond of the Optimus/Elita pairing.**

**Silvermoon caught on to her feelings a lot faster than Prowl, huh? It's a femme thing. :p**

**And on a random note, did you know the plural of moose is meese? Yeah, it's 12-o-clock at night and I've had too much sugar. :p**


	22. Rebel Love Song

**Author's Note: IS IT ON TIME!? *checks calander* Phew. I was on time (for once). To me, Prowl seems too OOC in this chapter, but I'm not in the mood to fix it right now. I had an English essay, an History essay, and an end-of-unit math test in the last three days, so my creative juices are kind of used up. Meh. Enjoy, my lovely readers!**

**The song for this chapter is Rebel Love Song by the Black Veil Brides. I love that band!**

**Thanks to **solareflare101, kakashiluckyblackcat, Joldino-Sidestreaker**, and MyNameIsAngel for adding this fic to their favs and/or alerts!**

Bee4ever: **Too true. But you may be in for a surprise. ;)**

solarflare101**: Than you, and here you go.**

Kae88:** I'm glad it was that good, and thanks.**

Sapphire-Serenity-Phoinex: **Well I hope his chapter makes up for that. It's not as sad (I hope).**

Jazz Is My Lil Ninja:** Thanks.**

MaKayla McKinzie: ***sniffles too* Poor Elita.**

Squidlydoo: **Thank you!**

**Joor= 6 hours**

_Thoughts_

**WARNING: Mentions of suicide, but no attempts.**

* * *

_Why does Bluestreak have to be so stubborn? Prowl shouldn't have to take care of the mechling so soon after he onlines!_ Silvermoon frowned, watching how Prowl limited his movements and made faces when he stretched a cord wrong, but kept his optics on Bluestreak. The SIC had come out of the medical stasis a groon ago, and they were siting in the med bay until Ratchet cleared Prowl to leave. Silvermoon had brought in some data pads to work on, so that she wouldn't get behind.

Bluestreak was currently curled up in Prowl's arms, resting his small helm over Prowl's spark so he could hear it. Prowl had a content expression in his optics at the mechling's display of affection. Silvermoon was jealous that the mechling only truly liked Prowl, but she didn't let it show. Returning to the data pad, Silvermoon missed Ratchet's entrance, and jumped when he spoke without warning, causing Prowl to chuckle. She glared at him.

"As I was saying," Ratchet continued, "you should be good to go. No strenuous activities, however. Of any kind. And no office work for a half-orn." His tone left no room for argument. Prowl merely nodded his helm. "Alright, now get out of here, slagger." Prowl complied, carrying the recharging mechling, with Silvermoon trailing behind. He went back to his office, and the door slid open. Praxia, who had been curled up n the desk, jumped down to greet the two when they walked in.

"No, go get some recharge," Silvermoon told the SIC when he attempted to sit at his desk.

"I have been in stasis for the past two solar cycles," Prowl protested.

"You still need your rest. And besides, you don't want to disturb Bluestreak, do you?" she pointed out with a smirk. He glanced down at the sparkling curled up in his arms and a soft smile found its way to his faceplates.

"No, I suppose not," he murmured, changing his course for the berth. He laid on his back, settling his doorwings so they were spread out comfortably. Silvermoon then took over his desk, reverting to the never-ending stream of datas that had to be completed. Quickly checking her chronometer, she noted she would need to take a break to refuel soon.

Her train of thought was broken a breem later when Prowl spoke up. "You look like you could take a break yourself."

"Not yet. I have too much to do," she said, not taking her optics off her work. He chuckled quietly, making her furrow her optic ridges in confusion and look up. "You sound like me."

She nodded and allowed a quick smile to cross her faceplates before looking back down. The SIC made another attempt at small talk. "Bluestreak will need his youngling frame within the orn."

"Noted," Silvermoon replied, not even lending the processor-power to the thought except to make a mental note. After that, Prowl fell silent, giving up at trying to distract her. After doing her work in silence for a few breems, Silvermoon glanced back up to see him in a sound recharge, with Bluestreak comfortable on top of the tactician.

* * *

Silvermoon was setting the last data pad of yester-cycle's delivery in the box labeled as 'completed' when a quiet knock sounded on the door. "Come in," the femme called softly, not wanting to wake Prowl. The door hissed open to reveal Chromia. "Oh. Hi, Chromia." Praxia looked up from where she was curled on the desk, yawned, and went back into recharge.

"Good evening," the teal femme replied, stepping in to allow the door to shut. She looked around and caught sight of Prowl and Bluestreak. A smile graced her features. "They are so cute together," she gushed, careful to keep her voice low. "I can't wait until my little mechling comes." She set a servo over her chestplates, which has swelled slightly to allow the newspark more room to revolve around her spark.

"Ah, yes. How have you been holding up?" Silvermoon asked, somewhat annoyed she hadn't kicked her professional manner this cycle.

"Very well, actually. Ironhide is also excited for his arrival." She threw another glance at the sleeping mechs before settling down in the chair in front of Prowl's desk.

"I'd imagine so," Silvermoon said. "Where are Norika and Arcee?" She knew the other to femmes were around Chromia every moment they could be. Mainly because there were so few femmes on base, but also to keep an optic on Chromia and her sparkancy.

"Arcee is on patrol, and I don't know where Norika went to," Chromia supplied, leaning back. Norika had made some quick friendships with both Chromia and Arcee, but she spent a lot of her time around Smokescreen as well. Silvermoon had her doubts that it was 'just a friendship', as Norika claimed it was.

"Probably with Smokescreen," Silvermoon said absently, onlining another data.

"Probably," Chromia agreed, then glared at her. "You work too much!"

"Well, if I didn't do it, no 'bot else would, seeing as Prowl is banned from work for the next half-orn, per Ratchet's orders," Silvermoon replied evenly.

"You need a break. Let's go get some energon," she said. Silvermoon set the data down. Energon did sound good right about now.

"I suppose..." she started, but was cut off when another knock sounded. "Come in."

Norika walked in, followed by Smokescreen, who looked less than pleased to be away from the control room. "Chromia! We were looking for you," she scolded in a playful tone. "Smokey and I were just going to Iacon. You should come with us!"

Silvermoon almost laughed at the look Smokescreen gave Norika for the nickname, but she ignored him.

"Okay!" Chromia replied cheerfully, forgetting she was going to get energon with the navy femme. "See ya, Silvermoon."

"Have fun," she replied. Smokescreen gave her a 'help-me' look before he followed the two femmes. She chuckled in response. Then she looked back down at the desk, biting her lip plate. Doing one more data before she refueled couldn't hurt, could it?

* * *

The door slid open without warning, making Silvermoon jump. Praxia didn't even wake up. She looked up and saw Jazz grinning at her. "Gotcha." He glanced at the desk. "Primus, femme. 'Ow long 'ave ya been workin' fo'?"

Another four datas had gone into the box since Chromia held left. _Oh yeah. Refueling. Slaggit._

"Too long," she replied. The waved vaguely over at Prowl. "He can't work for another half-orn, though."

"Ya gotta take ah break sometime," Jazz remarked, perching on the chair Chromia had sat in two groons ago.

"Not until I'm done," she replied irritably.

"Okay, okay," he said, holding his servos up in a surrendering position. "No need ta bite mah helm off."

"So what can I do for you?" she asked, lifting her optics from the data long enough to see Jazz smirk.

"Ya've got a way ta go, femme. Prowler can work on ah data and talk ta meh at the same time."

Silvermoon stuck her glossa out at him. "Or I could just work on the data," she suggested with a smirk. He glared at her.

"Fine. 'Ave Prowler comm. meh when 'e wakes up. Ah gotta talk to 'im," Jazz said, standing and moving to the door again.

"Will do," Silvermoon said, looking back down again. She heard the door close again. Then she got up and stretched. _Energon? No, not yet. I've got too much to do._ She sat back down in the chair again, right as Prowl's systems began to hum, signaling he was coming back online. She looked over at him as he sat up.

"How long was I out for?" he asked.

"About a joor," she replied, looking at the data once more. She was almost done with it.

"And you were working this whole time? You are worse than me!" he laughed, filling the room with a deep, masculine sound. Silvermoon resisted the urge to shudder. _Slaggit, crush. Not now!_ "You need to get some recharge. They will be here in the morning," Prowl urged her.

"I'm almost done," she protested. He vented.

"Fine, but this is the last one," he warned, setting Bluestreak down to get up and walking to his energon dispenser. "Have you refueled?" She shook her helm. He filled two cubes and set one in front of her.

"Thanks." She drained half of it in one gulp. She didn't hear Prowl's next words as she refocused on the data. The print swam before her optics and she shuttered them confusedly. She needed to recharge, but didn't want to leave yet.

_Sending a medic to Tarn? Sure. Who? First Aid? Nah, we need him here. How about Ratchet? Yah, we don't need him here..._

Her whole view swam again before she blacked out.

* * *

Silvermoon was aware of quiet voices as her systems came back online. She checked her chronometer and noted she had been in recharge for two joors. _Slag, I over-charged. _Then she heard her name, making her wait to online her optics.

"... ta Silvamoo'?"

"Her processor overloaded. I had the same problem the first time I was overworked."

"Ah. So when are ya gonna tell 'er? Ya can't keep 'er in tha dark' fo'evah."

"Shh. She's coming back online."

Silvermoon knew that Prowl had noticed she was awake, so she onlined her optics and stretched, noting she was in Prowl's berth again. She looked over at Prowl and Jazz, and realized they didn't know she had heard them.

"Good cycle, Jazz," she greeted. Then she gasped. "Slag! I've gotta do the datas!" She leapt out of the berth and staggered as the energon flow to her helm lessened dramatically. Leaning against the wall for support, she saw Prowl walk over to her.

"You just had a processor crash. You are not doing any more datas right now," Prowl said. She grimaced, leaning onto his offered arm. His optics twinkled mischievously. "Besides, I believe you have training with Kup in a klik."

Her optics widened. "Slag, slag, slag, slag, slag," she cursed, pushing herself off of Prowl and practically running out the door. Jazz grinned as he watched her go.

"Sorry I'm late," she huffed, sliding her battlemask over her mouthplates and morphing her servos into her blades as she skidded to a halt in front of Kup. He turned from the Wreckers, who he had been talking to, and she noted his mouth was pressed into a thin line, signaling anger over something.

Not wasting time on formalities, Kup unsheathed a sword and said, "Go."

Ten breems later, Silvermoon winced as she set weight on her nicked pede. She had confirmed Kup was angry about something besides her lateness, and he was taking it out on her. He was harsher then he had been for the past few training meets, and his advice he shouted out consisted of "Move faster!" or "Watch the enemy!" It wasn't very helpful to her, as she was trying to do that anyways. What also didn't help was the fact Springer, a green helicopter Wrecker, and Arcee, were watching her sparring match.

She lost her footing and went down to one knee right as Kup brought his blade down to rest on her exposed neck. "Never stumble on the battlefield," he warned. "It will be the last thing you do." His re-sheathed his sword as she stood back up, cheekplating flaming from embarrassment. "We're done for today." The leader of the Wreckers turned and walked off the mat that laid out the boundaries of the training arena.

Silvermoon let her servos reappear and she stalked past Springer and the now-pink Arcee, who had repainted herself in her fallen sister's colors to honor Elita-1's memory. The navy femme was mad that Kup had to push his anger off onto her. It wasn't her fault that he was so mad!

"I thought she was a better fighter than that," Arcee whispered to Springer, but Silvermoon heard it. She resisted the urge to stop and backhand the femme, knowing that would be crossing a line. Instead, she walked out into the hall, leaving the room to the other two 'bots.

Jazz was standing outside the rec room when she walked past, shoulders hunched over to prevent her from lashing out at anybot. "'Ow was tranin'?" he called to her.

_Why is all of Cybertron against me today?_ She wondered. "Horrible," she said angrily, leaving it at that. Not wanting to go on, she turned and headed outside to think and be alone.

* * *

Prowl sat at his desk, forcing himself to not reach out and online a data. _Ratchet's orders. No work,_ he told himself. But it was so hard to just sit there and do nothing. Bluestreak was happily playing with Praxia on the floor. _Do not do it._

His saving grace was in the form of Jazz, who chose that moment to rush through the door unannounced. Bluestreak, who had gotten used to the saboteur bursting in like this, said, "'Azz! Hi 'Azz!"

Jazz gave him a small smile, but turned to Prowl with worry written in his optics. "Prowler, Ah didn' 'ear the 'ole story, but ya gotta know this," he said urgently.

"What is it, Jazz?" Prowl asked, getting a slight sense of forbidding.

"She was mad, an' she walked by. Ah coulda stopped 'er, bu' Ah didn' know! Honest! An' then Ah heard somethin' abou' self-termination-"

"Slow down, Jazz!" Prowl interrupted. "Self-termination. Who? Silvermoon?" All Jazz could do was nod with wide optics. Prowl jumped up, suddenly worried about the safety of his best friend and future sparkmate. "Watch Bluestreak for me," Prowl said before he tore out of the room and transformed, ignoring how it pained his patches Ratchet had recently welded on.

_Don't do it, Silvermoon!_ He thought, wrenching open the friendship bond to find her location. According to the bond, she was on the same cliff Jazz had talked to her at once. _Cliff?! No!_ Prowl sped down the halls at a speed that made all the other 'bots jump to the side, pitying the 'bot that had made the SIC so mad.

Prowl made it out into the sunlight in record time, and it reflected off his glossy surface. But he didn't pay attention to the warm light, instead racing to Silvermoon.

He was relieved to see her curled up, her knees to her chestplates and her arms wrapped around them. He stopped next to her and transformed up. Glancing down at her, he saw dried energon-tear tracks, making him worried again.

Prowl knelt down and looked her in the optics. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. She shook her helm. "What is wrong?"

She took a shaky breath and spoke. "I can't do datas for you. I can't take care of Bluestreak. I can't even train well enough to make Kup satisfied!" More tears welled up in her optics and fell. Prowl gingerly wiped them away. "And Arcee was right. I'm not good enough to be an Autobot."

"Don't say that," Prowl growled, suddenly furious. "Don't ever say that. You are better than half the Autobots on the base." She didn't look convinced. He let his anger melt away for the time being. He could deal with Arcee later. What mattered now was his femme. He wrapped his arms around her protectively. She leaned into the hug. "Now what is this that I hear about self-termination?"

"What did you hear?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled because Prowl's arm was covering it.

"Jazz said he heard somebot say you were going to..." He trailed off, knowing she'd understand. She backed out of the embrace and looked at him.

"I never said that, or thought it," Silvermoon clarified. "I wouldn't want to, anyways. But sometimes I do wonder, who would miss me if I left?"

"I would," Prowl said. Then he kissed her. He don't know what drove him to, but he put his lips onto hers. But what surprised him the most was when she started to kiss back.

* * *

**A/N: D'AWW! They FINALLY know! :D Hope it was enough mushy stuff for you!**

**By the way- have any of you seen Random Transformers 4 part 1? I couldn't stop laughing! XD**

**Starscream: So, um, what do you want for breakfast?**

**Vehicon: Ooh, gummy bears!**

**Starscream: No, Steve. You know how you get around gummy bears!**

**XD**


	23. Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites

**Author's Note: Whew. Got this chapter done pretty easy. Song for this chapter is Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex. Only the title fits. Thanks to **CrazyFangirl1999** for adding this fic to their favs list!**

Bee4ever: **I know, right! That's why we love him. :) **

**Prowl: *grumbles***

VectorPrime155: **Knew you'd like that!**

Kae88: **Exactly. She was just overworked and tired. Yeah, a cuddle with Prowler almost always helps! ;)**

Angela (Guest): **I've heard parts and pieces of the Black Veil Bride's new album, but not everything. :( Thanks!**

Sapphire-Serenity-Phoinex: **Lol.**

**Special thanks to Kae88 for helping plan this chapter out with me! You had some great ideas!**

* * *

Silvermoon onlined her optics with a start. There was somebot next to her. Then she remembered the events of solar cycle. With a small smile, she pushed her helm deeper into Prowl's shoulderplating.

He was lying on his back, and she was on her side, facing him. Her helm was on his shoulder, and Prowl had his arm around her. Silvermoon could feel his sparkbeat, and she lay there, letting the sound of it engulf her senses. Then Prowl stirred, breaking her trance.

"Silvermoon?" he grunted, online his optics.

"No, it's Jazz," she said with a smirk, tilting her helm to see his faceplates. He rolled his optics.

"If that was the case, I would not have let you recharge next to me," he said, squeezing her with his arm.

"Then why'd you have to ask?" she murmured, settling back down. Prowl remained silent, choosing to enjoy the quiet moment with his femme. She was also silent for a moment, then asked, "So how long have you wanted to do that?"

Knowing she meant the kiss, Prowl vented. Speaking without giving much thought, Prowl found himself saying, "Since I had a spark-call to you." Then he froze, realizing what he had said. She also went stock-still, staring up at him.

"Spark-call?! Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered in disbelief.

"I did not want to frighten you. And I was not sure myself. They were new feelings," Prowl explained, letting his helm fall back and offline his optics in exasperation. Why did he let that slip?!

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I do have a crush on you," Silvermoon admitted, burying her now-blushing faceplates in his chestplates once more.

"Honest?" he asked, powering up his optics again. She nodded into his chest. "Well we will take it slow. No use making mistakes we regret later," he assured her quietly. Silence took over once more, and Silvermoon's blush receded a bit.

Suddenly, the door burst open, making Silvermoon jump. Prowl, for his part, wasn't as startled as he was angry. In a swift movement that took less than a nano-klik, he picked himself up, swung Silvermoon safely behind him, and had his acid pellet rifle out and prepped.

Jazz stared down the barrel of the gun with wide optics. "Slag. Ah ain't nevah seen ya move tha' fast!" Bluestreak peered out from behind Jazz's leg wearily. Prowl quickly disabled his weapon and subspaced it, not wanting to scare the youngling. Silvermoon crawled out from behind Prowl and picked Bluestreak up.

"Jazz, language!" she scolded. He had the grace to look ashamed of himself, but he shot Prowl a smirk when she looked down at Bluestreak. Prowl rolled his optics, knowing it was a he'll-know-it-all-later smirk. "How'd you like recharging at Jazz's?" Silvermoon asked, tickling his tank plating lightly, making Bluestreak giggle.

"I' was fun!" he said. Then he turned his optics to Prowl and waved. The SIC accepted the 'bot form Silvermoon.

"Do you mind if I use your washracks?" she asked, handing Bluestreak over.

"No, go ahead," he replied, ignoring Jazz's look. Waiting until she had closed the door, Prowl turned to the smirking TIC. "What?"

"The migh'y Prowler swoo's in an' saves tha femme in dist'ess from commintin' self-termination, an' in return, she le's ya take 'er ta berth?" Jazz asked, throwing in an innocent look for good measure. Prowl, who was setting Bluestreak down, snorted. He couldn't help it.

"First of all, my designation is Prowl. Second, she was never going to self-terminate. I asked her. And third, no, she just recharged next to me," Prowl summarized patiently.

"'Jus' rechahged nex' ta meh'?" Jazz repeated. "Slaggit, mech. Ya don' know wha' ya got." Prowl resisted the urge to roll his optics again. He knew exactly what he had. She was beautiful. And caring, and funny, and- His train of thought was cut short as she walked back into the room, a bit of solvent still stuck to her armor. It caught the light and sparkled, making her gleam. It made him think. Maybe Jazz was right, and he didn't know what he had. Well, the SIC could fix that. He'd just t-

"Prowl? Is everything alright?" Silvermoon asked, making him shutter his optics. She'd noticed his staring.

"Yeah, sorry. Just thinking," he mumbled.

"Well don' think too ha'd. Ya migh' strain somethin'," Jazz laughed, walking back out. Prowl shot a glare after the TIC.

"Ah! It burns!" Jazz cried dramatically from the hall. Silvermoon laughed, and they heard him walk away.

"So what are we doing today?" asked Silvermoon.

Prowl turned to her. "I do believe it is time for Bluestreak to get his frame upgrade." Said 'bot looked up excitedly.

* * *

Ratchet stood in front of the sparkling patiently. "Yes, I will have to give you a shot, but you will be back online before you know it," he assured the mechling.

Bluestreak eyed him warily. "Up-gad?" he asked.

"Yes. You will be in your youngling body when you online."

Bluestreak looked back at Prowl, who gave him an encouraging nod. Then the mechling faced the medibot. "'Kay," he said. Ratchet pushed him to lay down on the medical berth, neatly sliding a needle into a line in Bluestreak's arm.

Bluestreak jumped at the odd feeling, then relaxed as the substance started to take effect. The next nano-klik, he was out cold. Ratchet looked up to see Silvermoon wrap her arms around one of Prowl's and rest her chin on his shoulder. Prowl looked down into her optics and said, "He will be fine."

"I know," she replied softly. "I know."

A groon later, Bluestreak's spark was safely in the youngling frame Ratchet had put together just for the mechling. The details on it were astounding. From the tiny chevron to the small doorwings, nothing was left out of the clearly-Praxian frame. His old sparkling frame was resting on the counter, dark in color from lack of a host. "That should take care of it," Ratchet said, withdrawing from the small spark chamber and wiping his servos on a rag. "I'll bring him back online now."

Prowl and Silvermoon stood up and walked over from the chairs they had been sitting in. Ratchet flipped a switch, cutting the stasis-inducing liquid from access to Bluestreak. It took a breem to be fully washed out of his system, and then the mechling's optics onlined slowly.

"Prowl?" asked Bluestreak. His optics widened. "Hey! I can talk!" That drew a chuckle from the medibot.

"I upgraded your language controls while you were in stasis," Ratchet told him. "You should be able to speak simple words now."

"Cool!" Bluestreak turned his attention to Prowl. "How come you and Silvermoon were in the same berth this morning? Can I stay with you from now on? Where's Jazz?"

Prowl groaned and Silvermoon laughed. "Calm down," Prowl told him.

"Calm? I am calm! Hey, can we go get some energon?" Bluestreak fired off rapidly.

"Are you sure he's not related to Blurr?" Silvermoon asked, looking at Prowl.

"At this point, I am not sure of anything," Prowl murmured. "Yes, we will go get some energon."

Bluestreak hopped down from the berth with a small cry of happiness, and almost tripped when he tried to walk. His arms flailed out, trying to catch onto something before his faceplates met the floor in a painful way. Ratchet, came to his rescue, gently grabbing his small arm. Bluestreak steadied himself, then grinned up at the medic. "Don't worry! I'm fine now! Come on, let's go get some energon!" Bluestreak trilled, taking a few tentative steps away from Ratchet before taking off at a high speed.

Prowl and Silvermoon glanced at each other, silently wondering who was going to keep the mechling out of trouble.

"Good luck with him," Ratchet said dryly, walking back to his office.

* * *

The rec room was packed when the three walked in. Bluestreak was perched on Silvermoon's hip, and had her arms wrapped around him, having taken up residence there when he'd faceplanted one too many times. Prowl had told the mechling that he was too heavy for the SIC to carry before his frame gained its strength back. So he'd settled with Silvermoon instead.

'Bots were spread everywhere in the room. At the tables, at the dispensers, and standing around talking. Jazz spotted the three and walked over, beaming.

"So li'l Blue got 'is younglin' frame, 'uh?"

"Hi, Jazz! Yes I did," Bluestreak started before anyone could stop him. "Ratchet also gave me a voice box upgrade, so now I can talk! Isn't that great? Now all of you can hear me!"

Jazz, for once, seemed to be struck dumb. Then he laughed. "Blurr, ya go' some competition now!"

Blurr walked over from the energon dispensers. "What-are-you-talking-about-Jazz? No-bot-can-talk-faster-than-me!"

Bluestreak stared at the light blue 'bot. "Wow. You sure talk fast. How long did you have to practice before you could do that? Do you ever confuse yourself? Does anybot ever not understand you?"

Blurr looked at the mechling. "Maybe-I-will-teach-you-how-to-talk-like-me. How-does-that-sound?"

"Awesome!" Bluestreak beamed. Blurr grinned at him and walked away. Jazz had a dumbstruck appearance on his faceplates.

"I've been tryin' ta get 'im ta teach meh tha' fo' vorns! No fair!" Jazz pouted to Bluestreak. The mechling laughed and patted Jazz's faceplates, choosing to stay silent for once. Jazz laughed and followed Blurr to a table.

"I will go get some energon for Blue," Prowl muttered. "Stay out of trouble." But before Prowl could move, to 'bots walked up to them that made him growl silently.

"Somehow, I think trouble found us," she muttered dryly back.

Sideswipe stood before the couple grinning, Sunstreaker standing behind his shoulder with his usual scowl. "You too had a sparkling?" he joked. Then he sang, "Prowl and Silvermoon had a sparkling and named him Bluestreak!"

Silvermoon glanced over at her mechfriend and noticed his frame had frozen. His optics had a glazed look to them, and she knew his processor was overheating, trying to figure the logic behind Sideswipe's remark. She set down Bluestreak right as the SIC processor crashed, and she reached out to catch him. Lying him down on the ground, she looked back up at the Twin Terrors.

"Frag, it doesn't take much to make him crash now, does it?" Sideswipe frowned. His twin snorted.

"What's frag mean?" Bluestreak asked curiously. Silvermoon froze and glared at the twins.

Sideswipe was too busy grinning at his twin to notice she'd stalked toward him. By the time he had turned around, she slammed into him and pinned him to the ground. "Ow! Get off me!" Sideswipe yelped.

Sunstreaker pulled her off his twin and ducked to avoid his faceplates getting clawed off. "RUN!" Sideswipe yelled, and both of them took off, with a furious Silvermoon behind them. They dodged 'bots that had stopped to watch the proceedings ever since the twins had walked up to Prowl.

Right before Silvermoon followed the twins into the hall, she yelled back over her shoulder, "Jazz! Watch Bluestreak!" Then she was gone, with a crowd staring after her.

Prowl groaned as his processor rebooted, sitting up slowly. He took the servo Jazz offered to him and was pulled to his pedes. The SIC glanced around. "Where did Silvermoon go?" he asked, making the present 'bots laugh.

* * *

Silvermoon followed Sunstreaker's shiny aft to the med bay, where they turned out to be trying to hide behind Ratchet. The poor medibot was trying to walk to an empty medical berth from his office, but was trapped by Sideswipe on one side and Silvermoon on the other. Sunstreaker, who was wisely staying out of the way, had taken refuge behind a table.

"I'm sorry!" Sideswipe said desperately. "Calm down!" He avoided her by running the opposite way around Ratchet.

"'Sorry' doesn't cut it!" Silvermoon said, going after him and missing again. Then Ratchet got fed up. He pulled two wrenches from subspace and chucked them both at the twins. The one that hit Sideswipe hit him hard enough to knock the 'bot into a temporary stasis. Sunstreaker was just knocked onto the floor, muttering about his paint and the new dent he would have to pound out.

The golden 'bot stood up and grabbed the unconscious Sideswipe by an arm to the door. "We'll just be going," he said shortly.

"You're not going anywhere, fragger," Ratchet said, throwing yet another wrench at him. He was knocked out as well, landing heavily on top of his twin. "What did they do now?" asked Ratchet, turning to Silvermoon.

"Sideswipe made Prowl glitch, then swore in front of Bluestreak and he copied Sideswipe," Silvermoon rattled off, throwing a glare at the unconscious 'bot. Ratchet rolled his optics, cursing the twins as he bent down to retrieve the wrenches.

"I'll take them to the brig for you," Ratchet said.

"No," said Silvermoon. "I want to prank them. They deserve it." To her surprise, Ratchet's optics lit up with a mad gleam.

"Oh, I want to help with that!" he said, hauling the two up onto separate berths. "Do you have any ideas?" She shook her helm. "I've got a threat I could go through with. Several times I've threatened them by saying I'd turn them into femmes. Maybe it's time I go through with it," Ratchet said, grinning wickedly. Silvermoon laughed at the mental image.

"Good idea. What do you want me to do?"

* * *

Two groons later, Silvermoon set down the wrench she'd been using to pull off various pieces of Sideswipe's armor. "I think he's done," she said, looking over at Ratchet and Sunstreaker. The two stood back to admire their work.

Ratchet had said actually changing their frames would be too dangerous, unfortunately. So they had opted to take of various pieces of armor, making their chestplates and hips appear bigger, while everything else looked smaller. Ratchet had pulled off their helms and replaced them with narrower, more femme-like ones. For the finishing touches, Ratchet had changed their voice boxes to make them sound like femmes, and Silvermoon had painted their lip-plating a crimson red, and given them bright shading over their optics.

"Now let's take them to the rec room, so everybot else can see them!" Ratchet suggested. Silvermoon nodded with a grin. Silvermoon hauled Sideswipe up by the armpits, letting his pedes drag on the floor. Ratchet tossed Sunstreaker over his shoulderplates like a sack of energon crystals. Together, the two made their way to the rec room.

Silvermoon ignored the looks that 'bots gave her in the halls. When they walked past Bumblebee, however, he gave a staticy laugh, recognizing the twins. He followed them to the rec room.

Inside wasn't as crowded as it had been, but there was still a number of 'bots there. The twins were set haphazardly on a free couch, and Ratchet got a cube of energon for himself and Silvermoon. She thanked him and sipped at it, waiting for the twins to online again. They slowly came to, onlining their optics at the same time.

The first thing that Sideswipe looked at was his twin, and a horrified squeal ripped through his vocals, making him cover his mouthplates at the odd noise. "Look at you!" he whispered, his new voice even obvious at the low volume.

"Look at _me_? Look at _yourself_!" Sunstreaker practically shrieked. Both 'bots were so immersed with their new look that they didn't notice anybot else in the room.

**.:Prowl, will you come meet me in the rec room?:. -Silvermoon**

**.:Of course. Is everything alright?:. -Prowl**

**.:Yeah. But you might want to see this.:. -Silvermoon**

She made sure to send some amusement through the link before closing it. Turning her attention back to the twins, she saw Sideswipe trying to rub off the paint on his lip-plates unsuccessfully.

A klik later, Prowl walked into the rec room with Bluestreak at his side. The SIC took one look at the twins. Then he couldn't help himself. He chuckled. The chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh. Everybot in the room, save Silvermoon, looked at Prowl in disbelief.

"Prowl _laughed_?" Sideswipe whispered, right as half the 'bots, including Ratchet, had a processor crash and fell to the floor.

* * *

**A/N: So, a bit of fluffiness, and some pranking. Nothing really new, but I hope it was good!**


	24. No Sacrifice, No Victory

**Author's Note: Wow, I got this week's chapter out early. Figured you all would want to read it and I had it done, so yeah. Song for this chapter is No Sacrifice, No Victory by Steve Jablonsky.**

VectorPrime155: **Haha, yeah! You'll like this chapter. Fluffyness, beware!**

Bee4ever: **Yeah, I figured it be nice to switch it up a bit! XD**

TheGhost129: **That's because it is a song. All of the chapter's titles are.**

Kae88: **Right back at ya!**

Sapphire-Serenity-Phoinex: **I know, right!?**

* * *

Prowl vented. He hadn't officially asked Silvermoon to be his femmefriend, and now was as good as ever. Bluestreak was doing his first-ever training session with the weapons master to see which weapon he wanted to grow up knowing how to use. Prowl hated the fact that Bluestreak had to grow up in a war, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Wondering what was taking Silvermoon so long to leave the training room, he opened the door silently. He knew she should've been through with her dueling session with Bumblebee. Instead, he saw her sitting on the floor of an empty room, with her legs crossed and arms resting over them. Her optics were offline as she meditated peacefully.

***FLASHBACK***

A young Prowl sat by a young Silvermoon. Both of them were in meditating positions, trying their best to not focus on anything but calming themselves. Around them sat nine other 'bots also doing the same. They had signed up for the Circuit-Su class so that they would be slightly ahead of everybot else when they departed for the Elite Guard Academy.

"Alright, class," Sensai Yoketron said, gaining the attention of the class. "No bot here has managed to completely calm their processors. In order to focus your mind, you must separate yourself from the raging movement of society. But that will be something for you to work on. Now, we will work on training your bodies to fight with the ferocity of a cyber-cat, but the gentleness of a light breeze. Prowl, you and Silvermoon will spar first. Face each other and bow."

Prowl followed Silvermoon onto the training mat, and they faced each other. He had a small smirk on his faceplates, and they both bent in a bow.

***END FLASHBACK***

Not wanting to scare her, Prowl stepped in and closed the door with a light snap to alert her to his presence.

She onlined her optics and turned her helm toward him. "Prowl," she greeted, not bothering to stand up.

"I did not know you still meditated," he replied quietly, sitting down and taking up the same position.

"I haven't recently, but I figured I should practice my Circuit-Su so I don't get too rusty," she admitted.

They sat in silence for a while. Prowl emptied his processor in the manner that Sensai had taught them and had taken vorns to master. Then Prowl spoke.

"Will you go a round with me?"

"Of course," Silvermoon answered, getting on her pedes in a single, graceful movement. She moved to one end of the training mat and stood, waiting for him to follow. With his mind full of memories, Prowl went to the other end. They bent at the midsection and then Silvermoon charged.

Prowl blocked her quick chops easily, then retaliated with a light kick. It caught her shin, but she used it to her advantage, pushing with her leg to sweep it out from under him. Knowing it was coming, Prowl let her move it back until she couldn't reach any farther, then moved his leg up a little higher and to the side to lift it off of hers.

To anybot that didn't know Circuit-Su, it would seem to be a well choreographed dance. One would make a move and the other would block it, or allow it to happen and lightly use it to get the upper-servo. They moved faster and faster together, until they were almost a blur. The entire spar only took a span of three kliks, but to them, it seemed like a lifetime.

At the climax of the fight, Prowl caught Silvermoon's lower leg with his servo when she wasn't expecting it and knocked her gently to the ground, pinning her there under his frame. They were venting hard to cool their frames, and having their faceplates so close together didn't exactly help.

Silvermoon gazed into Prowl's optics intently, then their lips met. She sought his lips intently, making sure he knew he was hers through the contact. A moment later, they broke apart. Prowl pushed himself up and offered her a servo, hauling her to her pedes.

"Silvermoon, will you officially be my femmefriend?" Prowl asked, his voice somewhat husky from the kiss.

"Yes," she replied, a wide grin splitting her faceplates. He smiled back at her, wrapping her in an embrace. "We should probably go get Bluestreak. Jazz was supposed to drop him off at your quarters two kliks ago," Silvermoon said, her voice muffled in his armor. Prowl let her out of his arms and she started walking to the door, the swing in her hips almost irrisistable.

He let her reach the door before giving off a playful growl and charging toward her. He scooped her up and carried her bridal style to his room, ignoring her protests.

"What are you doing?" she asked, holding onto his shoulder, even though she knew he wouldn't drop her.

"Making sure this courting is the best moments of your life," he murmured, setting her down outside of his office. The door opened for them, and Praxia lifted her helm sleepily. She meowed a greeting and promptly fell back into recharge.

"Lazy cybercat," Silvermoon laughed. She stroked the small helm, drawing a purr from the unconscious creature.

Prowl smiled. "How about I take you into Iacon tonight? Just the two of us?"

She glanced up with a smile. "That sounds great." Then Jazz burst in through the door. Surprisingly, Praxia didn't wake back up.

"Sorry we're late!" Jazz yelped. Bluestreak giggled from his perch on Jazz's shoulders. "Off ya go." The youngling was set on the ground, and he raced over to Praxia.

"Aww, kitty's asleep," he whined. "Can I wake her up? All she ever does is recharge! I want to show her the base!"

"Just leave her for now," Silvermoon told him gently. "When she comes back online you can show her around."

"Okay," Bluestreak said, losing intrest. He turned to Prowl. "Hi Prowl! Guess what me and Jazz did? We were racing throuhg the halls! It was fun, and we almost ran over Bumblebee!" Bluestreak prattled on, not noticing that both Jazz and Prowl's optics had gone dim. They came back up a nano-klik later.

"We have to go to a meeting," Prowl told Silvermoon. "Will you stay and watch Blue?"

"Is it only for official officers?" asked Silvermoon. At his nod, she said, "Alright."

Prowl walked up to her and wrapped her in a hug again, whispering in her audio, "I will still take you to Iacon tonight, I promise." He could feel her smile into his armor, and then he and Jazz left, the latter of the two staring incredulously back at Silvermoon.

* * *

Optimus looked at Teletraan One's screen without really seeing what was on it. _The decepticons got the location of the Allspark almost a quartex and a half ago. When are they going to go after it? The Guardian Falls may be well hidden, but they cannot stand up to brute force._

Optimus resisted the urge to vent loudly. He offlined his optics to think. Keep the Allspark where it was- where it had lain since they knew of its existence- to hopefully keep it protected, or move it back to base, where they could keep an optic on it? He knew if it was left at the Falls, the decepticons would eventually reach it. But if it was moved to base, the cube would lose the protection that Primus put on it.

Optimus sat down in the chair he knew was behind him and decided to activate the Matrix. He could feel it glow hotter in his chest, and then an image of the fallen Primes appeared behind his closed optics.

The landscaping was the rugged mountains that housed Vos, where the Shrine to the Primes was. It glowed brightly in the dim light, and the Primes surrounded it, with Optimus at the Shrine's head.

"_These are some hard times," _Alpha Trion observed.

"Indeed, they are," Optimus agreed softly. One of the original thirteen Primes stepped forward.

"_You only consult us in times of great need, Optimus. We know of your struggle, and we bid you to make the decision as you see fit."_

Another Prime bowed his helm. _"We moved the Allspark to the Guardian Falls to keep it out of the servos of Unicron. It has not seen the light of the outside world since then."_

Alpha Trion focused back on Optimus. _"We cannot make your decisions for you, Optimus. Follow your spark, and you will know you have made the right choice."_

With that, the room slowly disappeared into blackness, and Optimus found himself back in the headquarters.

"Optimus?" asked a voice he identified as Blaster. The Prime onlined his optics and saw the Communications 'bot eyeing him worriedly. "You're energy signature just wigged out. Is everythin' alright?"

"Yes. The Matrix," Optimus answered. Blaster nodded in understanding.

Making up his mind, Optimus opened the public comm. link.

**.:All officers report to the Communications room.:. -Optimus Prime**

A ping in his HUD displayed a private link from Prowl.

**.:Silvermoon as well?:. -Prowl**

**.:I think it would be best if she was left out of this one.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:Very well.:. -Prowl**

Optimus closed the link and saw Blaster looking at him. "I'm guessin' this meetin' has somethin' to do with the Matrix?"

"Something like that," Optimus responded vaguely. Ironhide and Ratchet were then admitted into the room. The former of the two had a polishing rag and was busy buffing his cannons as he walked. Both took a seat at the table. Kup, Ultra Magnus, and Perceptor came in next. Optimus took the seat at the head.

Right as he did, Prowl and Jazz walked in. Optimus caught Blaster's optic and motioned for the 'bot to join them.

"This meeting is of the utmost importance," Optimus began. "Not a single word of it is allowed to any outside audios. Not even to sparkmates. Or assistants." His optics flicked to Prowl for a moment before continuing to sweep around at the 'bots gathered. "As we all know, the decepticons learned the location of the Allspark a quartex and a half ago. Since then, they have not made a move to find it. No scouting has been detected. The Guardian Falls may be safe for now, but I fear they may not be for too much longer. We need to move the Cube to a safer location."

Chatter broke out among those gathered, each trying to be heard over the others. Optimus held up a servo, making silence fall as if they had been struck dumb. "One at a time."

"Is that safe?" Ultra Magnus asked. "The Cube has been at the Falls since before even Kup was sparked." The fourth in command elbowed the aforementioned 'bot, gaining am optic-roll and a glare in return.

"You tryin' ta say somethin'?" Kup spat playfully.

"With all due respect, Optimus, my calculations show that the decepticons would obtain the Allspark even faster if we were to move it," Perceptor spoke up.

"Be as it may," Optimus rumbled, "we do not know all of the factors to produce an accurate calculation. Nor do we know if the Falls could withstand repeated attacks of Megatron's brute force. To be safe, the Cube's relocation is eminent."

"But wherever the Cube is moved, it'd crumble even faster than the Falls," Ironhide protested.

"Not if we were to move it here. It would be guarded constantly, and locked up in the most secure room."

"Still, it's safer if-"

"That is enough Ironhide," Optimus said, his optics gaining a flicker of authority and impatience. "We are moving the Allspark and that is final."

* * *

**A/N: Ooh, something's coming! In the next chapter, there will be more fluffy stuff, I promise! It drives Jazz crazy! XD**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: There's a new website up called www. transformersrp. weebly. com Just remove the spaces to get there. You should all check it out and join up!**


	25. Precious Cargo

**Author's Note: Sorry, this one is a bit shorter than usual. But my muse is being lazy. -.-' The song for this chapter is Precious Cargo by Steve Jablonsky. Thanks to **mcrmy246** and **Draconia Snowmatle-Snape **for adding this fic to their favs or alerts!**

Bee4ever: **Haha, thanks! And thanks for joining the role-playing site!**

Sapphire-Serenity-Phoinex: **Don't worry, they're together now! And they'll be bonded sometime in the near future!**

Kae88: **Thanks. I try to make it that way!**

IronhideFan1993: **Thanks, and I saw you joined the site!**

VectorPrime155: **Yes, that tends to happen between couples ;) Unfortunatley, there's little fluff in this chapter. :(**

**I do not own the Guardian Falls, Kae88 does. So no stealing. You've been warned! (It's been mentioned a few times, but next chapter it will be described in more depth!)**

* * *

"You're going on a mission? Let me come, then!" Silvermoon said. Prowl shook his helm immediately.

"It's a dangerous mission for official officers only. Besides, I would never forgive myself is something were to happen to you," he said.

Her face fell. "And what do you think I'd do if you never came back?" she whispered. Silence fell, and Prowl could tell she was being haunted by the thought. He hugged her comfortingly.

"But I will come back," he said soothingly.

"You can't promise me that," she whispered. His mentally vented. How do you take care of a femme who was so stubborn?

"Well I do promise that I will find you afterward. Even if we have to meet in the Well of Allsparks, I will find you." His voice held no room for argument, and she knew he was thinking that if he broke his promise, he would... Well, he didn't know what he'd do. "Okay?"

"Okay," she said, pulling back. Then Bluestreak woke up from his mid-cycle nap. He yawned noisily, then stared at them with wide optics.

"Were you two just hugging? Why? Does it have to do with why you were recharging together? Are you a couple?" He hoped down from the small berth that Prowl had installed just for him and watched, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, Bluestreak. We are a couple. And I have to go on a mission now, okay? Will you listen to Silvermoon?" Prowl stated. The SIC kneeled down before the young 'bot, looking him in the optics.

Bluestreak looked at Silvermoon, sizing her up. "Alright," he said carefully. "I'll listen to her. And if you're a couple does that make her my carrier?"

Prowl stifled a laugh. Silvermoon didn't bother to hide hers. She knelt down next her mechfriend. "Not if you don't want me to be," she said gently. The tactician gave her a thankful look.

"What makes you ask that?" Prowl asked. Bluestreak looked at him.

"You're my sire. Well, not really, but I'm going to call you that. Is that okay? And if you two are together, that would make her my carrier," he babbled. Prowl shuttered his optics at the sudden flood of youngling-logic.

Silvermoon smiled at the youngling, then returned her optics to Prowl. "When are you leaving?" she murmured.

Prowl stood up, his hydraulics hissing slightly. "At the end of the solar cycle," he said. She stood up as well. "We will be traveling when it is dark, and Jazz will be left in charge, with Kup as his backup. Optimus, Ultra Magnus, Perceptor and I will be departing. We should be back in a few solar cycles," he summed up. She nodded, her optics darting quickly to the desk. Prowl smirked. "Yes, you will still be filling in for me while I am gone, if you do not mind."

"No, it's fine," she said, a smile gracing her features. "It's not exactly that hard, there's just a ton of them." Prowl nodded in understanding. He'd thought the same thing countless times. "Now, if you're leaving later, you need to get some recharge now. I'll take care of the datas for you."

Prowl felt like protesting, but he knew she was right. He would be diving a long ways later to make it to the Falls, and he needed to conserve his energy.

* * *

Silvermoon stood at the entrance to the base next to Prowl. The small group was getting ready to depart, and she was saying her goodbyes. Ultra Magnus was talking to Kup, who was trying to catch Jazz for calling him an 'old fart'. Perceptor and Ironhide were watching the going-ons while Optimus was trying to restore order.

"This is like a sparkling-sitting center," Prowl observed dryly. Silvermoon smirked. Bluestreak was standing next to the SIC, not-so-patiently waiting to gain his attention.

"Prowl. Prowl. Prowl. Prowl. Prowl. Prowl. Prowl," he was saying. After what seemed like an eternity to the mechling, the tactician tilted his helm down. "You'll come back, right? 'Cause if you don't, I'll be sad, and Carrier will be sad, and the whole base will be sad because we were!"

Prowl held back a chuckle, noting how Bluestreak was dead serious. The term 'carrier' being applied to Silvermoon made him smile internally, however. "Yes, I will come back," he soothed the youngling. "Then the whole base will not have to be sad."

"Okay," Bluestreak chirped. He ran over to Jazz, trying to get the saboteur to give him a piggyback ride. Silvermoon watched him with a small smile. Then she turned her optics to her mechfriend.

"Stay safe," she said quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck while he had his arms go around her waist.

"Do not worry about me," he said back, equally as quiet. "I will return." He pecked at her lips, then let go and took a step back, right as Optimus regained order.

"Now then," Optimus said, throwing a glare at Jazz and Kup, the former of the two putting his servos behind his back struts and whistling innocently. "We will be back in about three solar cycles. Jazz, comm. me if any issues arise." The Prime waited for his TIC's nod, then announced, "Autobots, roll out!"

Optimus, Prowl, Ultra Magnus, and Perceptor transformed. The microscope was transferred to Optimus' trailer, which was hooked up by Jazz. Then the group started to drive, putting distance between them and the base quickly. Prowl used his rearveiw mirror to watch the form of Silvermoon, who was now holding Bluestreak, shrink, until they faded in the distance.

* * *

Silvermoon vented, reaching for Bluestreak as he darted past her again. He squealed and moved just out of her reach, laughing. She considered sending a message to Prowl to see if he could talk some sense into the youngling, but decided against it. The group had only been gone one solar cycle, and she didn't know where they were or if he could even accept a comm. right now.

"Bluestreak, get back here!" she yelled, running after him as he took off into the hall. He laughed loudly as her servos swiped at the air where he had been standing an astrosecond ago. Running after the mechling, Silvermoon dodged Bumblebee, who grinned at her and ran after Bluestreak as well. Together, the two 'bots herded Bluestreak around. He would get too close to one of them, dodge their servos laugh, and take off again. Silvermoon was grinning, despite her slight annoyance. She should be working on Prowl's datas, after all. Bluestreak led them all around the base, and even Ironhide started chasing the youngling when he had streaked by the training rooms. Circling around the base, the group started to get close to the main entrance.

The huge door slid open, revealing a large, winged mech, flanked by four other seekers. Bluestreak squeaked, coming to a halt and staring up at the large mech. Silvermoon used this to her advantage and grabbed the mechling before he could scamper off again. He squealed, feeling nothing but air under his pedes, then grinned up at Silvermoon.

"Aw! You got me! Can we play again? Please? That was so much fun! Prowl never plays with me like that!" Bluestreak chittered. Silvermoon smiled at him, then focused on the newcomers.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Bluestreak climbed out of her arms and up to her shoulder, wrapping his legs around her neck, holding onto her helm with his small servos. The biggest seeker, who was a light beige color, took a step forward.

"Ah, yes. My designation is Silverbolt. These are my brothers, Air Raid, Fireflight, Slingshot, and Skydive. We came from Vos as soon as we could, to aid the Autobots in the war," Silverbolt explined.

"Okay," Silvermoon nodded. "Optimus Prime is out on a mission right now, but I'll comm. Jazz for you."

**.:Jazz, we've got some seekers that want to be recruited here at the entrance.:. -Silvermoon**

**.:Al'ight. Ah'm on mah way.:. -Jazz**

Silvermoon's optics refocused on the room, only to find Silverbolt looking interestedly at Bluestreak. The brother that he had mentioned to be named Skydive was asking Bumblebee a few, quiet questions. Ironhide was watching the whole group, making sure it wasn't a 'con trick.

"Is he yours?" Silverbolt asked, noting the differences in the frames of the Praxian and Silvermoon.

"By adoption, yes," Silvermoon answered. The seeker nodded, then jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of Jazz, who had snuck up on the group quietly. The saboteur smirked.

"Yor tha recruits?" he asked. At Silverbolt's nod, the TIC continued. "Mah designation is Jazz, thi'd in command of tha Autobots and head of tha Special Ops."

Silverbolt proceeded to introduce himself and his brothers, while Silvermoon had her optics drawn to Ironhide. His optics were dim, indicating he was communicating over a comm. link or bond, and he was twitching a bit, meaning he was in pain. Silvermoon ventured closer to Ironhide, the other mechs oblivious to Ironhide's spasms or the femme's departure.

"Ironhide, what's wrong?" she asked quietly, not gaining the attention of any of the other mechs.

His optics brightened momentarily as he came back to his senses. She watched him look around the room quickly before focusing on her. "Chromia's having the sparkling," he grunted. Then he turned and ran off, leaving Silvermoon to stare after him.

"Wha's 'is problem?" asked Jazz, moving to stand next to Silvermoon. She turned to the saboteur, her optics brightening with the sudden excitement.

"His sparkling has decided to come into the world," she said, lifting Bluestreak off her neck. "Watch him, with you?"

The mechling was deposited into the TIC's arms without waiting for answer. He opened his mouthplates to protest, but she was gone before he make a sound. The seekers looked at each other in astonishment. The same thought ran through their processors; _This base is slaggin' crazy._

* * *

**A/N: Yes, there's the Arielbots! And Chromia's in labor! :D More sparklings will be running around the base soon!**


	26. Sacred Grove

**Author's Note: Lot's of stuff in this chapter, but not very much fluff. Song is Sacred Grove from the Zelda Twilight Princess soudtrack. Thanks to **willow0live, Autobot Chromia, the crazy brit, **and **Metallic Butterfly **for adding this fic to their favs and/or alerts!**

Kae88: ***Laughs evilly too* Yes, Ironhide's probably gonna glitch from his little mechling more than once!**

Bee4ever: **I know, right? But I think it's just a sparkling thing! XD**

Sapphire-Serenity-Phoinex: **Neither can I! :D**

**I do not own the Guardian Falls, Kae88 does.**

* * *

Prowl mentally sighed, tired of driving after only two groons. He knew they still had a ways to go to reach the Falls, but he couldn't help the feeling of restlessness that crept up on him, despite the fact that they were moving. He wanted to get back to the base and protect his mate. _His mate. _Yes, he liked the sound of that.

His attention snapped back to his surroundings when Ultra Magnus, who was in front of him, swerved suddenly. Prowl spun his tires in order to follow and not run into whatever it was the 'bot was trying to avoid. It turned out to be a squished cybercat. From the look of its plating, the unfortunate creature had been a stray. Seeing its golden plating made Prowl think of Praxia. He wondered what Silvermoon was doing at the moment.

* * *

Silvermoon rushed to the med bay, hot on Ironhide's heels. Bluestreak was clutching to her helm for dear life, not having gotten off from his piggy-back ride yet. She was aware of Jazz running behind her, and the seekers slowly walking after, unsure if they wanted to see a femme trying to deliver.

The navy and silver femme rounder the final corner and stopped. Ironhide spared her a glance, but she waved him on. The weapons specialist entered the room, letting the door swing closed. Silvermoon lifted Bluestreak off of her and crouched in front of him.

"That was fun! Can we go again?" asked Bluestreak, bouncing on his tiny pedes. Jazz went past them, but halted and backed up. He glanced at Silvermoon.

"Not right now, Blue. Now listen to me. I need you to stay out of the med bay for a couple of groons. I'll be back in a little while, okay?" she asked him, venting a little harder than normal from her swift journey across the base.

"Ah can watch 'im," Jazz offered. She looked up at him gratefully.

"You will? Thank you!" she replied.

"No problem. Ah don' really wanna see tha' anyways," Jazz smirked. He bent down and picked up Bluestreak. The youngling was then deposited around the minibot's neck. Silvermoon stood up and rested a servo on Blue's leg.

"Be good, okay?" she asked. Bluestreak nodded, and she turned and darted through the med bay door.

The first thing Silvermoon registered was Chromia laying on one of the berths, gasping for air like a turbo-fish out of water. She was holding onto Ironhide's servo, and Silvermoon swore she could see the plating on his servo bending inward slightly from the pressure. Ratchet had his back to the berth, messing with something that was on the table. Jolt was monitoring Chromia's vital stats that were displayed on a few separate screens. Silvermoon approached the group.

"Do you need any help, Ratchet?" she asked. Her question went unanswered, or so she thought. The medibot suddenly turned around and plopped a sparkling shell in her arms. Caught by surprise, Silvermoon almost dropped it. Before it could leave her grasp, the femme wrapped her arms around it gingerly, not wanting to crush the small frame.

Ratchet then went over to Chromia, who looked up at him. "Engage delivery protocols," the CMO said calmly. The teal femme gave a slight nod, her faceplates contorting with a wave of pain at another pulse from the newspark. Her chestplates slid open, revealing her own blue spark. The newspark was half the size of hers and revolving around hers. It's pale, dark-blue light flickered as it sensed freedom.

Silvermoon could see the thin strand of electricity connecting the newspark to Chromia, and Ratchet noticed it, too. "The sparkling hasn't completely separated yet," Ratchet told Chromia. "We've got to wait."

"H-How long..." she gasped.

"It could take anywhere from five breems to a few groons," Ratchet said apologetically. She groaned and let her helm fall back onto the berth with a dull clunk. Silvermoon clutched onto the shell, feeling bad for the femme. The pain looked intense.

The door suddenly burst open again, revealing the twins. "Hey, Hatchet. Wher-" Sideswipe trailed off, his optics growing wide. Even Sunstreaker, who was working on upholding his un-caring attitude was having troubles keeping his expression neutral. Ratchet barely even had to turn.

"Get out," he said shortly, throwing a single wrench. It bounced off of Sideswipe and hit his twin, evoking a howl of rage from the latter.

"My paint! It's ruined!" they heard as Sunstreaker retreated down the hall. Sideswipe, who was clutching at his own helm, laughed at his twin's misfortune as he followed.

Silvermoon tried returned her attention to the matter at hand, but failed when Arcee walked in, watching Sideswipe run off. Ratchet turned to half-sparkedly tell her to get out, but his order died in his mouthplates. He knew the femme would never leave her sister.

Arcee strode over to Chromia's other side and took the femme's free servo. She started to whisper into the teal femme's audio, and Chromia relaxed slightly.

* * *

Prowl noted that the scenery around them was starting to change. Whereas the road they had been driving on was surrounded by flat plated land, they were starting to get into a hilly region. Checking their location on his internal map, he knew they were getting close to Vos, and the Falls. Sparse metal trees were starting to appear around them as well.

His HUD pinged and he switched on his group comm. It was once been referred to by Sideswipe as the Convoy Comm., and the name stuck.

**.:We're getting close. We will have to maintain radio silence when we are at the Falls. If the decepticons learn of its location, the war will be lost.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:Alright, I'll cover the back.:. -Ultra Magnus**

**.:I will keep an optic on the skies.:. -Perceptor**

**.:Prime, you lead. It has been a while since I last visited the Falls.:. -Prowl**

**.:Very well. We will talk more when we reach our destination.:. -Optimus Prime.**

Prowl cut the line, pulling over to one side of the road to allow Ultra Magnus to fall behind. Cutting between the two semis, Prowl revved his engine, tailing Prime to not cause Ultra Magnus to have to stop completely. The procession continued, traveling further into the Vosian Mountain Range. The tree life grew larger the farther in they went. A wild turbo fox darted out of the trees and ran right in front of Optimus, barely missing becoming a red spot on the road.

At the turnoff for Vos, Prowl spied the entrance gates for the city a ways up the road. Wondering why the fliers would bother to have a road to their city built if they were going to monitor traffic and not let in grounders, Prowl followed Optimus onto a road that was off to the side, and you wouldn't have known it was there unless you were looking for it. The only markings it hard to let anybot know where they were supposed to follow was the slight indent in the metal ground, indicating that there was a destination at the end of the road.

Curving around several trees that had to have been there for several millenia, Prowl spied the metal cliff marking the entrance of the Guardian Falls. The cliffs had been named Iacon long before the city-state had been around. And seeing as the Falls used to be a place where anybot was free to go, the city-state had been named after the cliffs.

Passing under a natural arch in the metal cliff, the trees grew thinner, allowing Prowl to see almost the whole valley. Surrounded on three sides by mountains, it seemed like a much grander area. Turning around the final bend in the path, the trees cleared out completely. Optimus slowed to a halt, coming out from under his trailer and transforming. Prowl pulled up next to him and unfolded into his bi-pedal mode. Leaving Ultra Magnus to morph and pull out Perceptor, Prowl turned and surveyed the area.

Some rivers of silver-bromine rich oil flowed down the surface of the mountains and cascaded over the entrance to an amphitheater that had been carved into the mountain-side when the thirteen original Primes had been in command. Some of Cybertron's best performers of the ancient times had acted on that stage. The oil spilled over the edge of the pool that had been carved to collect it and trailed over the pede-path that lead to the cave housing the Cube.

Despite being so close to Vos and the threat of danger, Prowl felt himself relaxing. Shaking himself back to awareness, the SIC shot a well-concealed glare at the oilfalls. He knew they gave off a sense of peace to anybot who was around them. But peace was the last thing they needed right now.

Optimus started walking down the pede-path, Ultra Magnus and Perceptor trailing him. Prowl threw one more glance at the oilfalls, then followed. Stepping over the small stream, he had the sudden urge to pull out and prep his acid pellet rifle. Shaking it off, for he knew such an action would be frowned upon in the sacred place, Prowl checked the data his doorwings were streaming to him. He frowned, then tensed.

"Seekers!" he and Perceptor said at the same time. All four 'bots ducked under the closest object- a tree that was twice as large around as Optimus was tall. Peering up through the ancient branches, Prowl spied a multi-colored seeker trine headed for Vos. The sound of jet engines faded a moment later, and the tactician cautiously followed Prime out from under cover.

"Let's go before more come," Ultra Magnus said. Optimus gave a single nod, then headed for the cave once again.

Inside the cave, Prowl offlined and rebooted his optics. It was _beautiful_. A large pool of oil was in the center of the large chamber, filled by five oilfalls that fell from the ceiling. Seven Guardian Pillars of ancient material that Prowl knew through research was called stone were in between the oilfalls. The stone was weathered, smooth through the millenia of being exposed to the elements.

At the center of the pool was a small metal island, connected to a narrow bridge that was wrought out of ancient steel. Glyphs lined the twisted railing on the bridge. At the center of the island was the Allspark. The ancient glyphs that lined the Cube's surface reflected the light that fell onto it. The whole chamber was illuminated by ancient energon crystals that had never been mined and holes in the ceiling that were too small for a 'bot to fit through.

The group paused for a moment, marveling the surroundings. Prowl took a still image to show Silvermoon when he could. Then Optimus said quietly, "Autobots, let's go."

* * *

Silvermoon was about ready to go into recharge where she stood. Chromia had been in pain for two groons when Ratchet suddenly said, "Ha! We can bring the newspark out now!"

Silvermoon jolted back to the present, stepping forward and letting Ratchet have access to the shell. He bent over it, messing with a couple of the wires that were inside. He twisted a piece and connected it to something, then grasped Silvermoon by the arm and pulled her closer to the berth. To avoid being dragged, she stepped to where Ratchet gestured. He grunted his thanks.

The femme watched with fascination as Ratchet gingerly reached into Chromia's spark chamber, allowing the newspark to, in a way, scan over his servos for an intention. The medic was still for a nano-klik, and the newspark didn't reject Ratchet's presence. The CMO gently grasped the newspark, then lifted it out. Quickly turning to the shell. Minute wires lifted up to hook up to the tiny spark, trapping it in place and securing it. Ratchet pulled his servos out and scanned the shell, right as the tiny optics booted up. The cerulean optics slowly took in the room, gurgling quietly.

Silvermoon lifted her helm in time to see Chromia's chestplates close again. The navy and silver femme gently held out the sparkling, making sure the tired creator had he creation safely before backing off.

Ironhide and Chromia looked down upon their mechling creation with something in their optics that could only be called exultation.

* * *

**A/N: Anyone got an idea for a name for the sparkling? I have no idea what to call him yet!**


	27. Headstrong

**Author's Note: Yeah... for the lateness... I have no excuse. WOW, OVER 100 REVIEWS?! YOU GUYS ROCK! XD**

**Song: Headstrong by Trapt (The lyrics don't really fit.)**

**Thanks to **shelbiz1999, RodimusPrime12, i love tfg 1 tracks, **and **Yuuname **for adding this fic to their favs and/or alerts!**

IronhideFan1993: **Thanks, and yes, good suggestions!**

Bee4ever: **Thanks. I want to visit the Falls!**

Zombiegirl0203 (Guest): **Ooh, good idea!**

Ashwood's Flame: **That sounds good, but I have other ideas for him. Love your penname, BTW.**

like (Guest): **I like your ideas. And yes, you did help. :)**

Sapphire-Serenity-Phoinex: **Thank you!**

Shelbiz1999: **It's not that weird! And wow, only 3 hours!?**

* * *

Prowl watched as Optimus crossed the narrow bridge. Despite the frail look of the exquisite metalwork, the bridge didn't even tremble at the large 'bot's weight. Optimus reached a careful servo out, barely touching the Allspark. Something in the Prime's touch triggered the cube to collapse upon itself, folding up so it was only a fraction of its true size. White arcs of energy danced off the cube as Optimus picked it up, bouncing harmlessly around the room before fading into nothing.

With the Cube clutched securely in his servo, Optimus made his way back across the bridge and to the group. Ultra Magnus had gone to retrieve the Prime's trailer and paused before he flattened Perceptor. Unhooking from it, Magnus transformed up and stood to one side, allowing Perceptor to check over the modifications he and Wheeljack had installed to help mask the Allspark's signature.

The red 'bot straightened up after a klik and glanced at the Prime. "The modifications should hold until we get back. They won't completely block the signature, but they will help some."

Optimus nodded. Moving to deposit the Cube in the back of the trailer, he said, "You have my thanks, Perceptor." Once the Cube was secured and Perceptor had settled next to it, Optimus transformed, with the rest of the group following suit. "Autobots, let's roll!"

Following after Magnus, Prowl revved his engine, adding a burst of speed and causing oil from the small stream to splash up around him, catching the afternoon sunlight and becoming transparent for a nano-klik before they fell back to the ground.

Driving past the amphitheater and oilfalls, Prowl noted a faint signal on his scanner. It was headed in the opposite direction of them, however, and it was far enough away that Prowl had no real reason to worry yet. He kept an optic on it, but followed after the group quietly.

The Iacon cliffs went passed and faded out of sight as the group took the first corner back into the forest, the massive metal trees cutting them off from sight from above. It took them another two breems to navigate their way through the rest of the forest, Optimus being sure to take corners slowly to avoid jostling the Cube and Perceptor too much.

Once they reached the main road again, Prowl used his doorwings to send his scanner out to its max, trying to pinpoint any possible threats. The lack of recharge was starting to take its toll on all of them. They didn't need to fail the mission now, after they had gotten so far. And it would mean they had lost the Cube to Megatron's clutches. The SIC shuddered slightly at the thought. He wouldn't let that happen. Turning his thoughts to the scanners, he noticed three blips headed their way.

Tiredly gunning his engine, Prowl passed Ultra Magnus and pulled up to the side of Optimus. Opening the convoy comm. line, Prowl quickly sent a copy of his report to the Prime.

**.:We've got three headed our way, positively identified as Seekers. I have no reason to believe they know of our cargo yet.:. -Prowl**

**.:Understood. Autobots, maintain standard defensive positions. If they pick up the signal, we will need to outrun them.:. -Optimus Prime**

Prowl backed off from Optimus' side, hanging back to the rear side of the trailer. Ultra Magnus took up guarding on the other side. They continued on their way for a moment, the blips on Prowl's radars getting closer as the nano-kliks ticked by.

Suddenly, the whine of jet engines could be heard, and a seeker trine flew overhead. Prowl matched their colors to Ramjet, Thrust, and Dirge. Nicknamed the Starscream clones, he knew that wherever the clones were, the decepticon SIC and his own trine weren't far behind. Sending this information to Optimus, Prowl readjusted his radar to search for additional seekers.

One of the clones, Ramjet, suddenly stalled, hovering over the autobot group. Prowl assumed they were communicating, since Thrust and Dirge circled around and started firing.

**.:Optimus, they are unaware of the Allspark. However, if we do not get out of here soon, they will notice it. I cannot keep the shielding around the Cube with all the laser fire.:. -Perceptor**

**.:Understood. Prowl, comm. the base and see if you can get Teletraan One to monitor around us if we have to engage in a battle.:. -Optimus Prime**

**.:Yes, sir!:. -Prowl**

Prowl sent a communications line to Jazz, who had been left in charge.

**.:Jazz, we have obtained the Allspark and are en-route back, but we have the seeker clones following up and firing. We risk compromising the Cube if we do not figure out something soon.:. -Prowl**

**.:Al'ight. Ah can' send backup. Yo'r too far ahway. We'd be too late. What do ya wan' meh ta do?:. -Jazz**

**.:Prime wants you to use Teletraan to monitor us and scan for anymore incoming decepticons. One klik, I have to calculate something.:. -Prowl**

The line went silent on both ends, as Prowl booted up his battle computer and Jazz was undoubtedly talking to Kup and Ironhide. Putting the line at the back of his mind, Prowl focused on calculating the probabilities in their scenario. He noted when Jazz gave a tug on the line, signaling he was back. Prowl gave half his processor power to the line.

**.:We got ah group o' seekers tha' jus' joined. One o' 'em says 'e can space bridge the group there an' help, if Prime wants, o' course.:. -Jazz.**

Prowl's computer ground to a halt in surprise.

**.:Are you sure they are autobots?:. -Prowl**

**.:Yeah. They jus' joined up yester-cycle, but they came from Vos and claim ta have fought wit' the clones before.:. -Jazz**

Prowl considered the option for a moment. Looking at his other choices, he knew this one would have the highest probability of ensuring them a victory. He vented queitly.

**.:Alright. Send them over, but make sure they do not know of the Allspark.:. -Prowl**

**.:Ya go' it, Prowler.:. -Jazz**

Jazz cut the line, ignoring Prowl's angry growl, right as a swirling space bridge opened up above the group. Five seekers came out, one after the other.

* * *

Silvermoon watched Chromia as she held her recharging mechling in her arms. The navy femme could tell by the look on Chromia's faceplates that the pain had been worth it. And seeing the sparkling had made Silvermoon want one of her own. However, she smothered the thought, knowing it wasn't the best time to raise a sparkling in the middle of a war. Chromia had told her that Apollo, the newly designated mechling, hadn't been planned on, but she wasn't going to get rid of him.

They were in Chromia's quarters now, Ratchet having checked the femme over already. The cube of low grade energon the medic had given her rested on the counter. Silvermoon settled down on the couch, seeing as the loveseat was occupied by Ironhide and Chromia. The black mech seemed shocked to be a creator, but Silvermoon could see the love in his optics every time he looked at Apollo.

There was a knock at the door, and Silvermoon rose to get it, not wanting the new creators to be disturbed. She opened the door and saw Bluestreak. "Where's Jazz? I thought he was bringing you here," Silvermoon asked.

"He was going to, but then his optics went all fuzzy and he said he had to go do something for Prowl and Optimus. Then he told me to come here and stay with you and to send Ironhide to meet him at the communications room," the youngling reported all in one breath. Silvermoon raised an optic ridge and turned to talk to Ironhide, jumping when she saw him behind her.

"I heard," Ironhide said gruffly. "I'll be back soon." Silvermoon pulled Bluestreak in from the hallway and then stood to the side, letting Ironhide leave. The door swung shut, letting silence fall over the room again.

"Do you want us to stay or leave?" Silvermoon asked, turning to Chromia. The teal femme's optics were growing dim.

"You can stay if you want, but I'm gonna take a stasis nap," Chromia replied tiredly. Silvermoon nodded.

"I'll drop by later." The two femmes said their goodbyes and then Silvermoon departed, followed by an excited looking Bluestreak.

"Is that the new sparkling? What's his designation? Can I play with him? How'd he get here?" Bluestreak fired off quickly.

"He's called Apollo. No, he's too young to play. He was next to Chromia's spark," Silvermoon answered, feeling exhaustion pulling at her own systems.

"How'd he get there?" Bluestreak asked curiously. Silvermoon smiled.

"You'll understand when you're older," she said.

"Awww!" he whined. Then he perked up. "Do you wanna play tag?"

* * *

Silverbolt looked Jazz seriously in the optics. "We will go and protect Prime and his group," he stated.

Jazz regarded him for a moment, seeing if the seeker was jesting. Then he nodded and his optics went fuzzy. They remained dim for a breem, then brightened. "Al'ight, bridge ovah there. They need ya," Jazz said. Silverbolt tilted his helm in acknowledgment, turning to Air Raid.

The green 'bot nodded and opened up a space bridge, the light enveloping the five seekers. Being used to this, Silverbolt transformed and flew out the other end of the bridge, the others following his lead. He exited the bridge first, the others following and the bridge closing once they were clear.

The beige seeker surveyed the area and planned his attack, sending it to the others over a private link. Not giving the clones a chance to anticipate, Air Raid and Slingshot flew to the right while Fireflight and Skydive went left. The group cut off the clones, herding them in a way. Silverbolt stayed on the top of the trine, not allowing any of them to gain altitude.

Using this technique, the aeiralbots moved the clones a ways away from Prime's group, but then Dirge managed to slip between Fireflight ans Skydive. Pivoting the blaster that was hanging from his undercarriage, he shot at Skydive, making the seeker waver and the formation was broken. Ramjet and Thrust both took off, circling around to re-meet at Prime's group and attack again.

Silverbolt mentally cursed and gave chase, gaining speed as he closed in on the clones. Thrust, who was closest to him, transformed and used the boosters on his pedes to say aloft. The blaster on his arm was prepped and fired at him rapidly. Silverbolt dodged a majority of the shots, but a few grazed his frame and one punctured the nose of his alternate mode. Ignoring the sudden pain, Silverbolt engaged his blaster and shot at Thrust. The 'con was hit in the wing, making him fall back to the face of the planet will a pained screech.

Silverbolt transformed and used the same method as Thrust had to stay in the air. He paused long enough to note that both of Thrust's trine-mates winced and stopped for a nano-klik as they felt Thrust's pain through their bond. Silverbolt was about to head for Ramjet and attack when a sudden laugh made everyone stop.

"Insolent Autobots! You cannot stop the mighty Starscream!" Silverbolt turned with a frown, only to have it change to shock as three more seekers flew at them. There was no doubt in his processor that they were slagged. Not just anybot took on the former Royal Air Commander and lived to tell the tale.

"Silverbolt! Retreat!" Dimmly, the seeker heard who he assumed to be Optimus Prime yelling at him. Seeing as how the Prime could only know his name through Jazz, there was no wonder Optimus hadn't perceived his group as decepticons to begin with.

Knowing that Prime was above him, Silverbolt noted that the three grounders hadn't transformed and knew they carried precious cargo, even though he didn't know exactly what it was. He also knew that if he and his brothers fell back, even the Prime might offline. Pulling on his own bond that he shared with his brothers, he got four waves of affirmation before he yelled, "Superion! Form up!"

His four brothers stopped what they were doing and flew to where he was positioned. Simultaneously, they all transformed to the third mode that not just anybot could possess. Hooking together, Silverbolt felt their minds connect and the strings of data their processors sent to his.

He could also see the way that Prime reacted to the news of the gesault, even if he was in his alternate mode.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to IronhideFan1993 who suggested the name Apollo!**

**Skydive= right arm/right half of chest**

**Fireflight= left arm/left half of chest**

**Skydive= right leg/right half of pelvis**

**Air Raid= left leg/left half of pelvis**

**Silverbolt= head**


	28. Perfect

**Author's Note: Curse you, writer's block! Song: Perfect by Hedley.**

Sapphire-Serenity-Phoinex: **XD**

Bee4ever: **Thanks! Yeah, knock 'em dead, Superion! :D**

Kae88: **Thank you! I try. :p**

**Disclaimer: Hasbro owns transformers. I only own the plotline, Silvermoon, and Apollo (minus his name. That belongs to IronhideFan1993.)**

* * *

Using the feed from his brother's processors, Silverbolt focused in on the battle, relaxing into the large form of Superion. The cannon that was on Fireflight, the left arm, was aimed at Dirge and Ramjet, who were still circling Prime and his convoy. The 'bots still hadn't joined in the fight, and that made Superion know he had to protect them.

The cannon fired, sending out a scatter shot as well as a bright burst of light. Dirge was thrown to the ground from the shot, landing heavily on top of Thrust, who was still grounded from Silverbolt's shot to the wing. Meanwhile, Starscream and his trine were momentarily blinded, causing them to fall out of formation.

Superion rotated his cannon to fire at Skywarp, who was trying to catch up to his trine mates and flying sloppily in his haste. The 'con was pushed forward into the other two, making them lose altitude before they could fix their formation. Starscream circled around, leading his trine to focus on Superion. He prepped his null rays.

Superion ducked and Starscream's blow missed. Noting that the trine was headed for him, Superion quickly balled his servos into fists and raised them over his helm before they could change paths. Then he swung down, catching the trine by surprise and knocking all three of them out of the sky. They landed on top of Dirge and Thrust, making the latter two groan from the sudden weight.

The combiner turned back to the convoy, knowing he needed to get the group out of there while he still could. Once Superion was positioned over the convoy, Air Raid opened a space bridge. The glowing green ring formed around the group, making the grounders halt in surprise. Then the green pillar arched down from the sky, connecting to the ring and cutting off any view the 'bots had of the land around them. Giving it a nano-klik to transport them, Superion exited through the wall of light, followed by a cautious group of grounders. Once they were all clear, the bridge faded, allowing them to see the view of the Autobot base and the distant Iacon.

* * *

Silvermoon ran to the entrance of the base with Bluestreak in her arms. She had heard the unmistakable sound of a space bridge opening which could mean either good or bad news.

Reaching the entrance, she saw a startled looking Jazz and Ironhide. A small black ring was burned into the ground and smoking slightly.

"What happened?" she asked, hearing the shock in her voice. "I heard a bridge open..."

"Tha seekeahs b'idged outta here ta go hel' Prime an' tha othahs," Jazz answered, shaking the surprise from his frame. "Ah didn' kno' they'd go out wit' such ah ban' tho'."

"They can control a space bridge?" she nearly shrieked. "Why didn't they tell us?"

"Only one can. Air Raid, Ah think. An' Silvabol' did tell meh, jus' no tha' it'd be so..." he trailed off, gesturing at the burn mark on the metal surface. Everybot fell silent, looking at the black ring. Then Jazz's optics went dim. Silvermoon received a comm. of her own.

**.:Did you send the fliers?:. -Prowl**

**.:Jazz did. I didn't know they could control a space bridge.:. -Silvermoon**

**.:We are en-route back to base. The seekers are fighting off Starscream's trine and the clone trine.:. -Prowl**

**.:You're on the middle of a battleground and not helping?!:. -Silvermoon**

**.:We can't. We have to protect what we left for.:. -Prowl**

A tense silence followed, and Silvermoon could tell he was communicating with Optimus or Jazz.

**.:They're a gesault team?!:. -Prowl**

**.:WHAT!?:. -Silvermoon**

**.:They just formed a combiner right in front of us!:. -Prowl**

Silvermoon dropped the link for a nano-klik, only to see a matching confused expression on Jazz's faceplates, but his optics were still dimmed.

**.:...:. -Prowl**

The link was open, but he didn't communicate anything. She dimly heard the sounds of battle in the background. The clash of metal on metal stood out the most. Then it faded, only to be replaced with the sound of jet engines and a loud roar that sounded like the crash of oilfalls. Then the link was abruptly closed.

Her optics returning to normal, she turned to Jazz, confused. "They ah b'idgen' back," he clarified. She nodded, then jumped when the same ring formed on the ground in front of them, right over the top of the black mark.

"What's going on? What is that?" Bluestreak asked, pushing his frame against Silvermoon's for comfort.

"It's a space bridge," she whispered into his audio. "Prowl is on his way back." She watched Blue's optics light up a bit in his sudden excitement. Then everybot was washed in an eerie green glow as the hollow pillar connected to the ring. It swirled, but kept its connection for a nano-klik. Then the unmistakable form of a combiner strode out. Silvermoon knew it was the seekers, and it was proved by the gargantuan wings that came off of his back.

The combiner was followed by Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ultra Magnus, who were all in vehicle mode. Prowl transformed and Ultra Magnus followed suit. Silvermoon watched her mechfriend open the trailer doors and allow Perceptor out before closing them again quickly. As he did so, Prime transformed and turned his attention to the combiner that was a few feet away.

Silvermoon tuned out the next few words from the Prime's vocal processors as Prowl walked over to her. Bluestreak slid down from Silvermoon's arms and started running around Prowl's pedes, chanting, "He's back! He's back!"

* * *

Prowl spared a small smile to the youngling, then stopped in front of Silvermoon. She threw her arms around his neck as her wrapped his arms around her waist. He put his mouthplate next to her audio receptor and whispered, "Tonight, I will take you to Iacon for a cube of spiced energon." They pulled apart and she smiled at him.

"Wow, that good of a mission, huh?" she teased. He gave her a spark-melting smile that no bot else noticed, as they were too busy with Superion. Both of them turned back to the combiner in time to see the oversize 'bot split apart back into Silverbolt and his brothers. Silvermoon looked down at Bluestreak, who's optics were the size of the first moon. His jaw was hanging agape for a nano-klik.

Then, "Wow! You were so big! How'd you turn into five smaller mechs? What are your names? Can you fly?"

Silverbolt shifted minutely, clearly uncomfortable. He and Fireflight exchanged a glance. Silvermoon laughed at their expressions, unable to help herself. "Bluestreak, they are a gesault team. They can turn into a combiner naturally."

"Really!?" Bluestreak gasped. "I want to turn into a combiner when I'm older! Can I? Can I? Can I?"

"We'll see," she told him. She looked back up in time to see Silverbolt's smirk at the youngling's words.

"Well, Silverbolt. I need to have a word with you and your team," Optimus said, regaining everybot's attention. "Perceptor, Prowl, Ultra Magnus, you did well. You have the rest of the solar cycle off. Go rest."

Recognizing dismissal, Silvermoon beckoned Bluestreak and turned for the base. She could sense Prowl following her. Once they were safely away from the others, Prowl knelt down and picked up Bluestreak.

"Guess what?" Bluestreak asked, his optics glued to his foster-creator.

"What?" Prowl asked, relieved to be back, but still monitoring his feeds from his doorwings.

"Chromia had her sparkling! His designation is Apollo, and Carrier says I can't play with him yet because he's too small. We were playing tag when you showed up! I want to play a game. Will you play with me?"

Prowl blinked at the sudden feed of info. He glanced sideways and saw Silvermoon's startled look, clearly not knowing that Bluestreak saw her as a parental unit.

"I might play with you later. Right now I need to rest for a bit," Prowl answered. Bluestreak pouted, but nodded, resting his small helm on Prowl's neck as they walked back to his quarters. "So Apollo was born?"

Silvermoon nodded, smiling at the sight of Prowl and his adopted creation. "Yester-cycle. Ironhide was standing with her the whole time and nearly had his servo crushed."

Prowl nodded. "I will have to visit him later then." He paused, stopping to open the door to his office. Letting Silvermoon in first, Prowl made sure the door locked behind him. He was so tired that he didn't want to be bothered by anybot for a while. Silvermoon lifted Bluestreak out of Prowl's grasp and carried him to the berth.

"Somebot's tired," she cooed at him. "Rest my mechling." The youngling was laid on the berth, his helm hitting the pillow and his optics dimming immediately.

"But I don't wanna," he protested softly. He stretched out his small arms and tried to crawl back off, but stopped halfway, his optics blinking dark for a moment.

"You're still growing, Bluestreak. I'll wake you in a couple of groons, I promise," she whispered, moving him back to the center of the berth.

"Okay," he mumbled, falling into a light recharge. She turned back and smirked triumphantly at Prowl. He shook his head with a small smile. It seemed that all femmes had a way with sparklings. Suddenly, his smirk vanished.

_I've let my emotions slip, _he realized. _Being around Silvermoon does that to me._ He thought about the way he'd been acting around her, and knew that she'd wormed her way into his spark, extracting the emotions he'd thought he'd smothered so long ago. _But I guess that is a good thing, as long as no bot else is around._

"Prowl? What's wrong?" Silvermoon asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. He turned to her and noted she'd moved closer to him, standing on the opposite side of the desk while he was sitting in his chair.

"Nothing. I was merely thinking," he replied evenly. No point in worrying her about things she would consider irrelevant.

"Alright then." She walked around his desk in a sultry pace and sat down on his lap with an evil smirk. "So you're still not going to tell me what your mission was about?"

"I'm afraid I cannot," he said. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her closely, relishing the warmth of her frame. She pouted. He found it adorable and pressed his lips over her pout. Her felt her smirk and then melt into the kiss.

They pulled apart after a nano-klik and she grinned at him. "So, about tonight...?"

He smiled at her, welcoming the emotion. "We will go to the Iacon market and get some warm, spiced energon and wander around, just the two of us."

* * *

**A/N: If anyone is interested in my (few) videos, my YouTube username is LordMegatron155.**


	29. Who Knew?

**Author's Note: Buckle up, this is going to be a bumpy ride! Song: Who Knew by P!nk. Thanks to **Tami Mikaelson **for adding this fic to their favs!**

Kae88: **Thank you! :D I wish i could try energon... XD**

Bee4ever: **Yes, the arielbots are pretty awesome, aren't they?**

Lina Marie: **I know, right?**

* * *

Silvermoon drowsily rebooted her systems, not bothering to online her optics. She could feel Prowl's arm around her as she lay with her backplating to his front. His servo was entwined with her own. She smiled sleepily, feeling safe.

Her thoughts drifted back to the lunar cycle before, when Prowl had taken her to Iacon for a date. Bluestreak had stayed with Ironhide and Chromia, anxious to play with Apollo. Chromia had stated that she hadn't minded, happy to have somebot to keep an optic on Apollo while she and Ironhide rested. While Bluestreak hadn't been their first choice, he'd proven himself.

Then her and Prowl had gotten back late and he'd let her stay the cycle, hence the position she was in now. She frowned, suddenly recalling one part of last lunar cycle.

***FLASHBACK***

Silvermoon followed Prowl through a line of vendors' booths when she heard somebot calling out their designations. She turned, seeking out the source, then frowned when she saw who was calling them. It was a blue femme designated Thundershock, who had gone to the academy with them. She was vain, arrogant, and backstabbing.

"There you 'bots are! I haven't seen you in forever!" She gave a bright laugh that was obviously fake. Silvermoon fought the urge to roll her optics. How anybot had put up with this femme this long was beyond her.

"Thundershock," Prowl greeted stiffly, his frame going tense. Silvermoon could feel it through his servo, which was clasped over hers.

"So, you two are an item now? How nice!" she exclaimed with fake enthusiasm. Then she turned to the tactician. "Listen, Prowl. If you ever want a real femme, you have my number. It hasn't changed since that one night!" She shot him a wink.

"I have no idea of what you are talking about," Prowl said, gritting his denta. "Now leave, before I make you." Silvermoon looked between the two, confused.

"Yeah, yeah. You're just saying that. Buh-bye now!" And with that, the blue femme waltzed away, clearly pleased with herself.

***END FLASHBACK* **

Silvermoon gritted her denta. Was Prowl really with Thundershock while she had been on the first moon? He knew that that femme was a player. There was a reason she worked at the pleasure house!

A quiet knock on the door sounded, pulling Silvermoon from her thoughts. She carefully untangled herself from Prowl, taking care to not wake him. He made himself more comfortable, but didn't pull out of recharge. She strode over to the door on near-silent pedes, sliding it open. Jazz stood outside, holding Bluestreak, who looked half-in recharge.

"Jazz? What are you doing?" she asked, accepting the youngling that was offered to her.

"'E got bored pa'tway through tha cycle an' Ah took ovah watchin' 'im fer Ironhide," Jazz summed up.

"Thanks," she replied, surprised. Then a thought struck her. "Would you mind talking to me for a moment?"

"Shor," he answered, ever the easy-going mech.

Silvermoon set Bluestreak down, telling him to go crawl into the berth with Prowl and get another few breems of recharge. The youngling complied and left the two adults alone. She watched the door swing shut. Setting off at a brisk pace, Jazz lead her to his office.

It was nearly identical to Prowl's, but was decorated more than the SIC's. Posters adorned the walls and data pads were strewn carelessly across every available surface. Jazz settled down at his chair and propped his pedes up on the desk. "Whatcha need ta talk abou'?"

She sat down in the chair across form him. "Well... it's Prowl...um," she paused, biting her lip nervously.

The TIC bolted uprights, his visor flashing. "Wha'?! Don' tell meh ya don' like 'im anymore!"

"No, it's not that... Maybe this isn't such a good idea." She pushed her servos together and messed with them.

"Silvamoo', wha's wrong?" He leaned forward, letting her know that she wasn't going to get off the hook that easy.

"Um... I think there might be another femme involved!" she blurted. Then she blushed, covering her faceplates with her servos. "Aww."

"Wit' Prowler?" She didn't have to look up to know that Jazz was frowning in confusion. "Ah don' think so. 'E's 'elm ovah heel-struts fer ya, Silva. Why would ya think this?"

"Just a femme we were talking to," she replied quietly, not looking up to meet his optics.

"Aw, Silvamoo'." She heard him get up and walk around the desk to her. Then a pair of warm arms encircled her, giving off comfort. She unconsciously leaned in, seeking the warmth and feeling like a sparkling again. "Prowler wouldn' do tha' ta ya. Ah know 'im pretty well."

She sighed. "I know, I shouldn't be thinking this. But the way she said it was just..." Trailing off, the door suddenly slammed open, resulting in a loud crash that made both of them jump. Jazz let go of her and took a step back, and they both looked to the door.

Prowl stood in the doorway, his frame rigid with shock. "What is going on here?!"

"Prowler," Jazz started quickly. "It's not wha' it looks like-"

Then Prowl fell to the floor, his processor glitching. Silvermoon watched her mechfriend in surprise. Neither of them made a move to help Prowl. After a klik, he rebooted, climbing off the floor with a huff. He shot a glare at both of them.

"So you've been cheating on me?" he growled. "Is this what you were doing when I was with Optimus on the mission?!"

"What? No! Prowl-" Silvermoon jumped to her pedes in protest, but was cut off when Prowl turned and stalked out the door. She and Jazz exchanged a look. Then she dashed after the SIC.

She pleaded with him the entire way back to his office. "Please, Prowl. Just listen for a klik!" The door swung open, revealing Bluestreak, who was still sleeping on Prowl's berth.

The tactician turned on her with a growl. "Listen to what? Why you would have been with him? No. Save it, Silvermoon. I do not want to hear it right now." The sound of them arguing woke Bluestreak, who turned curiously to them. Then the door shut again, cutting her off from the room.

She stood there in shock, not knowing what to do. Without thinking, she turned and headed off. To where, she didn't know, but she just wanted to get away from her fragged off mechfriend.

* * *

Prowl sat down on the edge of his berth, ignoring the repeated questions of Bluestreak. Numbly, his digits found their way to his subspace, where he pulled out a singe, shining, crystal ring. It had been advertised to have been harvested from the Praxus Crystal Gardens, and he had gotten it last lunar cycle without Silvermoon noticing.

He stared at it. _I can't believe I was going to propose to her. What happened?_ Four million steller cycles had cut off the mechanisms to his tear ducts, so he just sat there, allowing his optics to grow fuzzy.

Unbeknownst to him, a large pair of youngling optics watched his movements worriedly, wondering what was going on.

* * *

The navy and silver femme found herself in the training room that she and Prowl had done their Circuit-Su motions in last orn. Dimly, she noted that the hologram projector was still set up to make the room appear like the dojo. She flicked the switch. The whole room flickered, then morphed into her old training room.

Without thinking about it, Silvermoon went through her warm-up exercises. It kept her frame moving, and her processor thankfully occupied. She put all of her power into her moves, making sure they were fluid and graceful, knocking out thirty holographic opponents without using too much power. Kick, punch, dodge, twirl, kick again.

Twenty breems came and went, and the femme was venting hard. This was the best workout she'd had in a while, and it was starting to take its toll on her frame, lowering her energy levels. But she pushed on, ignoring her HUD. Five more faceless opponents dissolved into nothing. Swing, kick, dodge, spin, punch, punch, uppercut, dodge.

Four groons into her workout, and her frame simply refused to do anymore. She lowered her arms and her latest opponents faded from view. Most of the anger that she had had pent up inside was gone. A numb pain replaced it. She wanted to fix things with Prowl. But she didn't know how.

She switched off the holographic projector and left the room, heading for her own berthroom. Inside was dark and undecorated. Only the basic berth, berth-side table, and desk were in the room. She hadn't spent much time in here, and hadn't bothered to decorate it.

She laid down on her berth. Knowing she should probably refuel, Silvermoon dismissed the latest warning that her HUD sent her. Rolling over to her side, her optics caught sight off the only thing she had done to make her room seem more homely. A single holocube with a photo in it was laying on the berth-side table. The image it had was of her and Prowl at the academy. His arm was carelessly wrapped around her shoulder, and they were both laughing at the camera.

Tears stung at her optics, and she laid the holocube face-down, hiding the image. Then she shuttered her optics, blocking the plain room from view.

* * *

Jazz watched as Silvermoon chased her mechfriend out of his office. _Frag. Wha' have Ah done? They were pe'fect fo' each othah. _He sat down behind hid desk once more, drowning himself in his thoughts.

Some time later, his optics focused on a single data pad that was lying in the center of his desk. He flicked it on and scrolled down the list for a lack of anything better to do. A check-mark caught his optic. One of the training rooms was being used, but he knew that there was no training scheduled this cycle. He tapped on the camera, drawing up the security footage of the room.

Silvermoon was inside, and the room had been formatted to look like a Circuit-Su dojo. Three faceless holographic opponents charged at her, and she disposed of each one with grace. Despite the rigorus workout, Jazz could see the pain that was written on her faceplates. _Prowler must've not listened ta 'er._

Then Jazz's optics were drawn to her movements again. _Wait ah klik. Ah thin' Ah know how ta fix this..._


	30. Leave Out All the Rest

**Author's Note: Wow, in the 30's already? Song: Leave Out All the Rest by Likin Park.**

Bee4ever: **Don't worry, he'll figure it out!**

Lina Marie: **Please don't. Otherwise you'll never know what happens!**

Kae88: **IKR? And yes, the Jazzman will ALWAYS fix the problems! XD**

* * *

Silvermoon's internal chronometer pinged, signaling that her shift for patrol was in a half-groon. She drowsily onlined her optics, wincing at flood of memories that assaulted her. Remembering yester-cycle, she sat up. _How did everything go so wrong so quickly?_

Walking over to her desk, she picked up and unsealed a cube of energon that she hadn't drunk the night before. She was only able to store half of the cube before she just couldn't take anymore, to unsettled from the recent fallout of her relationship. She set it back down, making a mental note to finish it later. Her levels were only at 46%, and at the moment, she didn't really care.

Striding to the door, she let it lock. Then Silvermoon headed for the communications room to check in for her patrol.

Jazz stretched and pulled himself out of his berth. His optics fell on the data pad that had Silvermoon's four-groon workout on it. The saboteur grabbed it and started to leave his office when he got a comm.

**.:Jazz, we have a group of new recruits that need a tour of the base. Ratchet has already confirmed that they are not decepticon spies. Will you show them around?:. -Optimus Prime**

Jazz vented. Ever since Elita-1 had offlined, Optimus had been more irritable, making it not wise to cross the Prime. But Jazz knew he'd have to confront Prowl sometime this cycle.

**.:Shor thin', Prime.:. -Jazz **

He subspaced the data pad and went to the entrance of the base.

* * *

"Al'ight everybot. Ah'm Jazz, second-in-comman' of this army. Ah'll be showin' ya around this base this cycle." He walked from one end of the line to the other, with his servos clasped behind his back. "Let's go." Jazz turned and lead the line of 'bots in, careful to point out crucial things on the way to the command center.

"Be'th rooms are down this 'allway, an' ya'll will get yor rooms latah," he gestured down one of the hallways. Seven pairs of curious optics glanced down the hallway. Jazz watched as Prowl exited from the Prime's office and went to his own. The SIC's doorwings were in a V-position and stiffer than normal. He had his back to the group, and Jazz knew that thanks to the doorwings, Prowl knew they were there. But he continued on, ignoring the lot of them. Jazz bit back a vent. "Movin' on, we got tha rec room up 'ere."

"How often do we have shifts?" the orange and gray mech asked. Jazz turned to him, knowing his visor had brightened a little.

"Depends on wha' field ya wanna go inta," Jazz replied, leading the group on as he talked. "Warriars 'ave basic patrols and fightin' in battles. Tactitains 'ave more basic monitah duty an' so on. Officahs 'ave got papahwork." He rolled his optics, knowing that none of them could see the action. "O' course, all o' ya 'ave already been assigne' to ya fields." There were scattered nods and murmurs behind him.

Jazz continued on, stopping suddenly when Ratchet stormed out of the rec room. He had one of his wrenches clutched tightly in his servo. "Have any of you seen the twins?" His voice was a growl that had a few of the new recruits cowering slightly.

"Nah. What'd they do this tahme?" Jazz asked, making sure that he was tracking the wrench's movements warily.

Ratchet growled. "They snuck out after I wrenched them. Sunstreaker still has some repairs. As if I don't have enough to do! Now I have to track them down!" Ratchet gestured wildly with his wrench as he spoke, making his irritation known. Jazz smirked, knowing the twins were in for a serious slagging when Ratchet got his servos on them.

"Ah 'aven't seen 'em. When Ah do, Ah'll send 'em ta ya," Jazz said calmly. Ratchet nodded and stalked off, muttering under his breath about slagging twins and patients that needed to be welded to the berth. Jazz smirked at the medic's words. Once he was out of sight, Jazz turned to the recruits. "Tha' was tha Hatchet. Don' make 'im mad, or he'll wrench ya." One of the 'bots winced. Jazz ignored them and moved on, eager to get the tour over with. Both Silvermoon and Prowl were suffering.

* * *

Prowl walked out of the Prime's office and headed for his own. His doorwings were held stiffly, and he could sense that Jazz was watching him as he walked away. He ignored the group and directed his pedes to his office, his spark giving a painful wrench. He almost stumbled at the sudden pain, but kept going.

The door to his office shut behind him, and Prowl let his doorwings droop. Bluestreak was in recharge on the berth, and no bot else would be walking in on him. The data pads that were in his grip fell to the desk with a clatter, but it wasn't loud enough to wake the slumbering youngling. The SIC sat down in his chair and propped his helm up on his servos.

_Why would she cheat on me with Jazz? Maybe my suspicions were correct and I should not have left her alone. But she knew that my spark had chosen her; I let it slip. So why would she?_ Prowl's optics dimmed more the longer he thought. Knowing he'd sink into an emotional breakdown if he kept this up, Prowl mentally pulled himself together and shoved the emotions to the back of his processor, choosing to work furiously on the data pads instead to keep his processor occupied.

The stack of completed datas slowly increased as he continued on, stubbornly not stopping for anything.

* * *

Silvermoon sped through the streets of Iacon, sweeping her scanners out in arcs around her. Nothing of interest had caught her attention yet. She was beginning to doubt anything would- Wait, there was a signal. She pulled up short and quickly analyzed the signal, pinpointing its location and faction. It proved to be a decepticon. She swung a quick K-turn and raced to the signal, her engines roaring in an effort to keep up to her speed demands.

The closer the femme got to the signal on her radar, the more it faded. She turned into an alley where the signal seemed to be located. When she was a mere hundred feet away, it disappeared from her scans. She stopped again, her engines calming down to an idle. Something in her processors screamed that it was a trap, but in her emotionless state, she ignored the warning.

A shot was fired from an un-silenced rifle, and the bullet pinged off her autobot symbol, that was shining on her hood. Pain flared from the point, but Silvermoon became angry. She quickly scanned the rooftops, knowing that her enemy was a sniper. She transformed and formed her servo into a blaster. A visor slid down, covering her optics and allowing her to search for heat signatures. It was an old technique, but it worked. Her enemy was highlighted in a bright red, and a white area was near where his servo would be...

She jumped to one side, avoiding a blast that had been aimed at her. Quickly aiming, she fired off a few of her own rounds. One was true, and punctured his shoulder. She saw him jerk back and cover the wound. Silvermoon took her opportunity, slid the visor up, and somersault away to take cover behind a stack of crates.

The 'bot picked up on her ruse and fired at the barricade, crumbling the corners. Silvermoon bit back a curse, the pain from the shot in her chest getting the better of her. The bullet hadn't gone deep, but it had severed some pain receptors and was still embedded in the metal. She quickly dug her digits in the entrance hole, seeing if she could get the bullet out. She winced as she rubbed against the frayed pain receptors. Focusing back on the enemy, the femme decided to deal with the bullet later, seeing as how she had more pressing matters to deal with.

Another two shots, this time energon rounds, hit the stacked crates, making whatever was inside them explode. Silvermoon was thrown back into the wall of a nearby building. A piece of shrapnel embedded itself in her backstruts, pushing several pieces of metal plating aside uncomfortably. A small groan escaped her vocal processors before she could help it. Error messages scrolled across her vision and Silvermoon found that she couldn't access her blaster. One of the receptive lines from her weapons' trigger system had been sliced. She mentally cursed and morphed it back into her servo.

Staggering back to her pedes, Silvermoon narrowly avoided another shot. Knowing she was basically defenseless, and swords weren't much of a match for a sniper, she used the only other option she had; a comm. link.

Too busy focused on the fighting, she opened a line to the first 'bot she could think of. Realizing who it was, she felt like smacking herself in the helm, but she didn't have time to comm. somebot else.

The enemy jumped down from the building he'd been standing on, loosening some rubble from the wall. She raised an arm to cover herself and scowled at the 'bot. The comm. line clicked, signaling that it had gone through, but no sound came through from the other side.

Raising an arm to cover the bullet wound in her chest, the mech shot her in the leg. She fell to one knee, forcing herself to not make a sound. Silvermoon looked up in time to see the mech step into the light of the dim alleyway. He glared down at her, his ugly green paint flecked with white and black glinting evilly. Based on his mismatched parts, Silvermoon guessed it was Lockdown, the decepticon bounty hunter.

**.:Prowl, I know you're there.:. -Silvermoon**

Lockdown back-servoed her across the faceplates, making her fall onto her front, with her back to him. She struggled to get back up, only to have Lockdown slam a pede into her backstruts, right where the shrapnel had pierced her armor. She screeched, unable to stop it.

**.:Listen. I'm sorry. I never cheated on you, whatever you think.:. -Silvermoon**

Lockdown crouched down, putting his mouthplates right next to her audio receptors. "Looks like this is the end of the line, femme," he growled. She could hear the smirk in his voice. Knowing she was running out of time, she quickly transmitted her next words.

**.:I don't think I'll make it back. Keep Bluestreak safe and tell him I'm sorry that I couldn't be a good step-carrier for him-:. -Silvermoon**

The link was cut short, and she knew Lockdown had been aware of her transmitting the whole time. To her surprise, instead of closing the link, Lockdown hacked into it.

**.:Prowl, huh?:. -Silvermoon**

He was transmitting through her link, and her signature was the same, but it was clearly his voice that Prowl could hear.

**.:Looks like I got me an autobot officer's femmefriend. Megatron will pay me a hefty bounty for this one.:. -Silvermoon**

Then he slammed the link shut before Prowl could manage a response. Silvermoon felt something in her back plating crack as Lockdown stepped on her harder. Her vision faded in and out as the pain overtook her. The last thing she was aware of was Lockdown slipping a needle into her arm and injecting her with something before everything went dark.

* * *

Prowl stacked his fourteenth data pad on the completed pile and was about to pick up another one when his HUD suddenly pinged. It was an incoming line. From Silvermoon. Cautiously, he opened it. Not making any noise, the link remained silent for a klik. Then she started talking, albeit quietly.

**.:Prowl, I know you're there.:. -Silvermoon**

He could tell she was in pain, but not why. Judging by the way his spark was aching, he guessed that might be her problem, too. A sudden pained screech slipping through the link made him rethink it.

**.:Listen. I'm sorry. I never cheated on you, whatever you think.:. -Silvermoon**

Prowl didn't know what to think. She said she hadn't, but he'd clearly seen Jazz hugging her while maintaining a possessive air. Maybe he'd misjudged the scene? Her next words came quicker, as though she didn't think she'd have time to say everything she wanted to.

**.:I don't think I'll make it back. Keep Bluestreak safe and tell him I'm sorry for not being a good step-carrier for him-:. -Silvermoon**

The link suddenly crackled. Prowl wanted to scream _Why wouldn't you come back!? Where are you?!_ Then another mech's voice came onto the line.

**.:Prowl, huh? Looks like I got me an autobot officer's femmefriend. Megatron will pay me a hefty bounty for this one.:. -Silvermoon**

Then the link closed abruptly, denying him a chance to respond. Prowl jumped to his pedes, his spark racing. Forget the whole cheating-thing! His mate was in danger! The chair scraped against the floor, creating a noise that awoke Bluestreak. Prowl desperately reached for the comm. again, but it remained stubbornly closed.

Dashing around the desk, Prowl ignored the data pads that went flying. He practically ran to the door. It slid open to reveal Jazz, who had his servo over the door chime to ring it, a surprised look in his optics.

"Prowler, ya gottah listen ta meh-" Jazz started, but Prowl interrupted him.

"Not now, Jazz. We have a crisis on our servos."

Jazz's visor darkened. "It can wait. You can't constantly run away. Watch this; it'll prove everything. Then you have to go apologize to Silvermoon." As Jazz talked, he clapped a servo over Prowl's mouthplates to prevent anymore interruptions and drug Prowl back to his desk. He almost missed Jazz's next words. "If we're not already too late."

Prowl knew that whatever Jazz had too say was important by the way he had dropped the accent, but his mate's survival was more important. Using Circuit-Su maneuvers, he wrenched himself out of Jazz's grip and ninja-flipped the TIC over his shoulder. Bluestreak watched from the berth in horror. Jazz was able to straighten out and land on his pedes, but he stared up at Prowl in shock.

"Silvermoon has been kidnapped," he said, deathly calm despite his earlier frantic movements. "Whatever you have to say can wait."

Jazz gaped at him, losing all of his normal 'cool-mech' attitude. "What?! We have to go rescue her then!" He darted to the door. Prowl stooped to grab Bluestreak, who had crawled over to him, and followed Jazz out at a pace that usually meant the slag was about to hit the fan.

* * *

**A/N: Well, this wasn't what I had originally planned, so we'll see how it goes!**


	31. Ready or Not

**Author's Note: WARNING: This chapter is on the verge of being M-rated in one part. And extreme fluffiness! :D**

**Thanks to **ShikaKibaShinoGal **and **Transformeranimefan** for adding this fic to their alerts of favs! Song: Ready or Not by Cascada.**

Bee4ever: **No kidding! XD**

Kae88: **Yep, Jazz has his head screwed on straight! And you've always gotta have the kidnapped thing in every fic, right? :P**

Lina Marie: **Exactly! LOL.**

* * *

Prowl raced down the hall at top speed, easily keeping pace with Jazz. Bluestreak clutched at the SIC's chestplates, trying desperately not to fall off. Darting around various mechs that stood in their way, the two mechs ran to the communication's room.

They burst into the room, gaining the attention of Optimus and Ironhide, who were watching Blaster do something on his monitor.

"What is going on here?" Optimus thundered. His second and third didn't usually race around like younglings. Speaking of younglings, the Prime's optics were drawn to Bluestreak, who was dangling off of Prowl's neck.

Prowl straightened up and saluted, trying to re-appease his Prime. "Prime, sir. Pardon the interruption, but Silvermoon has been kidnapped." The reaction to his words was pure silence. Ironhide's jaw was hanging open, Blaster had turned from his monitor and was staring at them with his visor revealing little, and Optimus' expression clouded over.

"Explain." The one word from the Prime was enough, and Prowl played back the rather one-sided conversation Silvermoon had sent over the comm. over his alt. mode's radio speakers. He left off the first words, seeing as how they were more personal. The Prime didn't need to know his love life failures. Once it had finished, Prowl was quick to speak.

"If we leave now, we may be able to intercept them before they leave Iacon."

Optimus furrowed his optic ridges. "That voice is familiar. I believe Lockdown has taken her. Prowl, you and Jazz go after her. I will have a crew standby for backup if need be. For now, we will need the element of surprise."

Prowl managed a nod and thrust Bluestreak at Ironhide, who had anticipated the move and caught the youngling before he hit the ground. Then both mechs rapidly transformed and sped out the door, leaving nearly identical black tire marks on the floor. Given the situation, Optimus didn't blame them. He knew Jazz and Silvermoon were friends, and the femme and his second shared something deeper. The Prime could just have one of the sets of twins clear the marks when they needed a suitable punishment.

* * *

Prowl positioned himself on top of a building, across from Jazz, who was doing the same on another tall building. They had tracked Silvermoon's signal. It had been blocked, but Jazz had hacked into the tracking system on Teletraan One and removed the shielding, using his spy skills to help with the deed. Then they had followed her signal through Iacon. She was moving through buildings on the grid, and Jazz had figured out she was being transported on Lockdown's ship, going over Iacon. He was almost to the edge of the city, and the two pursuers and overtaken him and climbed the buildings.

Jazz signaled to Prowl, informing the SIC that the ship was approaching. Prowl nodded and prepped his generic blaster, waiting for the saboteur's next signal. They were maintaining complete radio silence to ensure Lockdown didn't pick up on them.

The hulking mass of the evil looking black ship slowly approached the buildings. It was just as mis-matched as its owner. Prowl silently counted down, waiting for the right moment. He and Jazz locked optics at the same time, giving each other a single nod. Prowl fired his blaster, aiming for the wingtip. The blaster had been retrofitted into a grappling hook. Jazz did the same from the other building. Both of them quickly swung through the air and landed as silently as they could manage. For Jazz, it was merely an almost inaudible ping. Prowl was a little louder. They both crept up the side of the ship and met at the top. Jazz gave Prowl a single smirk at the thought of what they were about to do.

"Leave Lockdown to me," Prowl whispered. "He has pit to pay for." Jazz nodded and twisted the emergency door open, ripping it off its hinges. Both mechs dropped in, aiming their blasters, (or in Prowl's case, an acid pellet rifle) in front of them.

Despite all of their precautions, Lockdown had known of their approach all along. "Well well well," he said, his voice an evil sneer. "Look who decided to show their ugly faceplates."

Prowl growled, pent-up frustration breaking through his usual cold demeanor. He dove for Lockdown and noted that Jazz snuck of in the chaos. Prowl subspaced his rifle and balled his servos into fists as he moved. They scuffled around for a klik, trading blows and trying to gain the upper hand. It was clear, however, that Prowl was fighting with no mercy and Lockdown was participating with an air of boredom. With a series of vicious kicks and thrusts, Prowl had Lockdown cornered. The decepticon's expression changed to anger.

"So the little autobot wants to play, huh?" he growled, morphing one servo into a wicked-looking chainsaw. Lockdown aimed for Prowl's throat, but the black-and-white 'bot dodged and back-servoed Lockdown, unintentionally repaying the 'con for the same treatment to Silvermoon the cycle before. The smirk was wiped off of the bounty-hunter's faceplates.

"Never. Take. My. Mate. Again." Prowl bit out, punctuating each word with a blow to his gut of chestplating. When Prowl backed up, optics flashing dangerously, Lockdown looked like he was in pain. Then the 'con straightened up, making his chainsaw rev at a faster speed. Prowl didn't have time to evade the blow, and a piece of armor covering his shoulder got cut off painfully. The pain fueling his anger more than anything, Prowl went for Lockdown again.

The duo continued for a klik, and then Lockdown had Prowl pinned on the floor, chainsaw to the exposed throat cables. Optics glinting, Prowl curled up, catching Lockdown's shoulders with his pedes. Lockdown went flying and crashed into a wall. The tactician stood up and towered over his opponent, an evil look on his faceplates. He brought his fists together and down on Lockdown's helm so hard that it left a dent two inches deep. Lockdown was thrown into a temporary stasis. Prowl looked up at Jazz, who was standing in the doorway.

Standing, the SIC shook his aching servos. The blow had done a number on them as well. "Wow," Jazz commented. "Well, c'mon. Ah found Silvamoo'."

Jazz lead Prowl down the darkened halls, heading for a section of smaller rooms. "While Ah was explorin' Ah made tha ship hover ovah where we ah. Jus' so we don' leave Iacon."

"Good," Prowl replied, scanning the ship to see if anybot else was on-board. The only other life form he picked up on was Silvermoon. Jazz stopped at a door that looked like it had been ripped off its hinges. Seeing as how Jazz had done that to get them into the ship, Prowl didn't doubt it for a klik. The saboteur stood aside to let Prowl in the room.

He entered swiftly, knowing Lockdown could come back online at any moment. His optics landed on Silvermoon, who was lying unconscious on the single berth in the room. Her frame looked worse for the wear. A bullet hole was right on the center of her autobot symbol, and her paint was all scratched up. Several dings and dents decorated her armor, and Prowl could see a gaping hole in her back where something had pierced it. A machine was hooked up to her, dripping a substance into her lines that was keeping her in a light stasis.

Moving to the machine, Prowl deftly pulled the line out of Silvermoon, watching as her systems rebooted drowsily. A scan told him her energon levels were only at 18%, easily enough to keep her in a tight stasis-lock. Her optics onlined and landed on him, and she managed a small smile.

"Prowl. You came for me."

* * *

"Of course I did. You didn't think I would let you fall captive to Megatron, did you?" he asked, a small smile playing at the edge of his mouthplates. Silvermoon could see Jazz standing guard at the door.

"Where are we?" she asked, starting to sit up. Prowl moved over to her and assisted, laying a servo comfortingly on her back, mindful of the hole, ever the gentlemech.

"On-board Lockdown's ship," Prowl scowled. He noted that she winced as she slowly got into a horizontal position. He took a deep vent, making up his mind. "Silvermoon, I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. You mean the world to me, and you should know that."

She smiled, looking beautiful to him despite all of her wounds. "It's ok, Prowl. I was kinda overreacting, too." They shared a smile and Prowl wrapped her in a light hug. Then he pulled away quickly. Sensing her confusion, Prowl reached into subspace, fingering the object he wanted. He yanked it out and bowed to one knee.

"These are not exactly the circumstances I wanted, but Silvermoon, will you be my sparkmate?" The offered ring glittered in the meager light. Prowl could sense Jazz's astonishment, but he payed the saboteur no mind. Silvermoon clasped a servo over her mouthplates in shock. Then she removed it and smiled the widest he'd ever seen.

"Yes Prowl, I will!"

He slid the ring onto her digit and then scooped her up in a big hug, loosening his grasp when he felt her frame spasm a little at his touch to the wounds. Then he gently picked her up bridal style and walked over to the door.

Smiling calmly at the gaping Jazz, Prowl said, "Come on. We have a ship to crash."

* * *

Jazz lead the trio to the control center. The silver mech stretched his digits and then got to work, swiftly opening varied panels and starting to rip out cables. Then he jammed his servos over the button pads, mashing various keys at the same time and frying the ship's mechanisms. The ship wobbled a bit, it's engines starting to give out.

He still couldn't believe that Prowl had proposed. Yes, it was a good thing, but in the middle of a fight? On a decepticon ship, no less? _Well, better now than never,_ Jazz thought. He finished his 'masterpiece' by firing three energon rounds into the controls.

Gravity quickly overtook the ship and it did a nosedive, falling to the ground. "Brace yersleves!" Jazz yelled. He jammed his small frame in between the control panel and the pilot's chair that was bolted to the floor, pushing with his back and pedes to keep himself in place. He glanced over to see Prowl curled around Silvermoon, bracing himself between another chair and the wall.

They seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, but the ship rammed into the ground right outside of Iacon's boarder. The reinforced glass shattered upon impact, raining shards down on all of them. Metal crumpled and ripped as easily as the cheap toys the younglings got at the single-credit store. A series of bangs erupted from all over the ship, and energon started to leak from various ruptured tubes.

Jazz slowly unfolded himself form his hiding spot, wary of any protruding sharp metals. Prowl stood up, still carrying Silvermoon. Jazz looked over at them, congratulating himself on a thorough job. The ship had landed sideways, so Jazz jumped and landed on the wall, which now served as a slanted ground. "Le's get back ta base," he said. Prowl nodded and jumped down next to him, absorbing most of the blow so Silvermoon wouldn't be jostled too bad.

Jazz started to lead the way away from the ship. That's when things started to go wrong.

* * *

Prowl set Silvermoon down on her own two pedes. When they were only about ten feet away from the ship, a loud bang was followed by Silvermoon falling to the ground, clutching at her spark chamber. It was now almost completely blown open. The armor had been ripped clean off and her protoform had been almost melted away. Her spark flashed brightly once, as if to say it didn't like being suddenly exposed, then dimmed as the energon feeds to it were lessened.

Both mechs whipped around, one in a sudden rage and the other in shock. Lockdown was leaning heavily in the sideways doorway, a blaster sitting in his servo and smoking. He was grinning. "If Megatron can't have her, no bot can."

Prowl roared and leapt at him, closely followed by Jazz. They mercilessly beat the bounty hunter, adding deep dents to his frame and severing energon lines. The two autobots barely suffered any blows. Soon, the ground around them was coated with energon, both Lockdown's and the ship's. Jazz noted this and suddenly pulled out a flare gun that he had on him for no apparent reason. He took aim and fired at the energon.

The saboteur grimly thanked the science classes from the academy. It had seemed pointless at the time, but now it was a good thing to know that energon was flammable. A blue flame erupted from where the flare hit it, and the fire quickly roared and increased on size, barreling towards the ship and surrounding Prowl and Lockdown, who were still battling.

Prowl noted that the flames were spreading to the engines, which still had fairly full tanks. He used his rage to power a final punch to the 'con's faceplates. Lockdown was sent flying into the side of his ship and he layed there, dazed. Then Prowl ran through the flames, trying to put some distance from himself and the ship.

As he ran, the tactician gently picked up his intended, careful of the now gaping hole in her chest. He ducked down behind a pile of rubble, courtesy of the construction on a building nearby. Shielding Silvermoon's already-mangled frame, the ship exploded, sending blue fireballs into the sky at alarming heights. Heat seared over them, roasting anything within a hundred feet.

Slowly, it calmed down. Prowl stuck his helm over the pile to see the fire crackling over the now blackened hull of what had been Lockdown's ship. Venting hard, Prowl turned back to Silvermoon, lying her out on the ground. Jazz approached them, his frame black with soot from the explosion. A weary look was on his faceplates. Prowl looked down worriedly at Silvermoon, her frame bent and mangled in a grotesque way.

Her spark flickered feebly and her optics onlined. Prowl could see how weak she was now. If she had been weak before, Prowl doubted that she would even be able to move now. She smiled tiredly at him, as if trying to assure him everything was alright.

"Can you move?" he whispered, almost afraid that if he spoke any louder, something even worse would happen. He cupped her helm in his servo, stroking at the back of it comfortingly.

"No," she said quietly. "I wouldn't... back to base. Levels... seven percent."

"I'll comm. for back up," Prowl said quietly, albeit wildly. "I won't lose you again!"

"They won't... in time." She coughed, and Prowl could see the energon leaking from her frame.

Venting, the SIC leaned closer to his femme, whispering in her audio, "I can't lose you again."

Summoning the last of her strength, Silvermoon whispered, "You have an army depending on you, Prowl. As well as Bluestreak. Go."

"No. Not without you." They shared a look. Then a crazy idea came to his processors. He looked at her, and she could tell what he was thinking. Tiredly, she nodded, giving him permission.

"Hurry," she whispered, offlining her optics to save her energy.

"Jazz, turn around." Prowl's voice was commanding. He could sense Jazz's confusion, but the TIC did as he was ordered. Prowl's digits worked at the catches on what was left of Silvermoon's chestplates and leaned in.

A moment later, he backed off, taking half of Silvermoon's spark with him, while half of his remained with her own spark. He could feel the faint, but unmistakable bond that was between them as well. Hugging her close, Prowl stood and turned. She fell into a light stasis as Prowl sustained her spark through the bond and with his frame.

Jazz's optics fell on Silvermoon's spark chamber as he turned back to them, and his mouth fell open. He had just created a spark-bond _in the middle of a battlefield!_ So to speak. But Prowl ignored him and transformed around his mate, taking care to slow down the process and enlarge his alternate mode's framing so Silvermoon would fit within it.

Jazz transformed down as well, and the moment Prowl was finished and sure Silvermoon was safe, he was off driving down the street, enforcer sirens wailing at full volume. They had to get back to Ratchet before it was too late for her. Something from the new bond told Prowl she would be just fine.

* * *

**A/N: Well, finally! XD And it can only get fluffier from here!**

**Disclaimer: Kae88 owns the half-spark thing, not me.**


	32. Comatose

**Author's Note: Hmm, I got nothin'. Song: Comatose by Skillet. Thanks to **AndomeaAI, Carolina's Evil Angel, SusantheRedhead, Shewolf-skittles-twist14, **and ** xXLaRockeraX **for adding this fic to their favs and/or alerts!**

Kae88: **Haha, thanks! I hope I can keep up to that expectation!**

ShikaKibaShinoGal: **Yes, I'm sure it will! Thank you!**

Bee4ever: **I had hoped somebody would! I've always hated Lockdown. Thanks!**

Lina Marie: **Thank you! Adorableness just seems to come with this story! :)**

* * *

Ratchet vented, setting down his welder. Silvermoon's lines were finally sealed, ceasing to leak energon. Next to her medical berth, Prowl was recharging on a chair, his neck at an odd angle. Ratchet wasn't about to send Prowl out, not once he'd lain optics on the half of the tactician's spark that was now in Silvermoon's chamber, alongside her own. The medibot knew new bonds were weak, and there was definitely a bond between them. His scans had made that evident enough.

The upside about Prowl having created a bond- on the battlefield, as Jazz had put it- was that Prowl's spark had kept the femme's stabilized enough so Ratchet could attend to her leaking lines. Otherwise the energon he pumped into her would've come right back out. The gaping hole in her chest was a problem for another time. The medic was more worried about the condition of the new bond between the two and how she would hold up with the extension of her injuries. Prowl had fallen into recharge right after he'd dropped off Silvermoon and been told he could stay, so he didn't know how injured his bondmate was, other than what he could see.

_Then again, _Ratchet contemplated, _Creating a spark-bond shares memories and stuff between the two, so he probably knows more than I do at the moment._ Ratchet strode over to a cabinet, shuffling through some spare metal pieces, trying to find something to fit over the femme's chamber until she got some new armor. A curved piece found its way to his servo and then onto her frame. It was carefully welded down to cover her. Another, flatter piece was attached to her back. It was nothing fancy, but it would have to work for now. The dark gray-silver of the unpainted plates were a stark contrast to her navy paint, that was in dire need of a touch-up.

The quiet whir of a processor rebooting had Ratchet turning in time to see Prowl lift his helm up. The SIC's optics focused immediately on the prone form of Silvermoon. Then they flicked over to the medic the next nano-klik. Ratchet vented.

"How are the repairs coming?" His voice was quiet, barely registering in the silence of the med bay.

"Quickly enough," Ratchet replied, looking over his patient as well. "They aren't pretty, but they'll have to work. Jazz went to find her new armor and get some recharge. Speaking of which, you should still be resting. You were barely unconscious for a groon."

"Recharge can wait. I have more pressing matters," Prowl leaned back into his chair, optics going dim as he sorted through something mentally.

"You and Prime..." Ratchet grumbled under his breath. Work always had to come first.

* * *

Prowl retreated into his own mind, reaching for Silvermoon down the bond. It was weak, but it was there. He slowly went to her memory banks, which were a lot clearer than from the friendship bond. She unconsciously recognized his mind, and he could tell she was in a small amount of pain. Sending soothing feelings through the bond and blocking part of the pain from her mind, Prowl felt her relax a little more. A dull ache settled down in Prowl's spark chamber, which he ignored. Then he called up the memory of what Lockdown had done to her during the fight.

His spark clenched as the events played out, and he felt Silvermoon unconsciously tense as the emotions were passed through the bond. Realizing his mistake, Prowl forced himself to calm down and sent a wave of love and reassurance to her. Refocusing on the memory, Prowl couldn't help the anger that rose up. _How dare that fragger?! Good for him he's offline, or I'd use him for target practice and kick him to the first moon and back! _Prowl thought savagely. Half-blocking the bond from Silvermoon, Prowl growled silently to himself. Wallowing in angry thoughts, Prowl sat there, feeling Ratchet scan him when the medic caught the sound of the SIC's cooling fans kick in to cool down his frame. Prowl ignored him, only to be yanked out of his thoughts when Ratchet placed a servo on his shoulder.

"Lockdown is offline," Ratchet said, as if reading his processor. "You and Jazz killed him. The clean-up crew found his offline frame when they went back to search for anybot else on board."

Prowl visibly shook himself and replaced his normal, cool demeanor. "You are correct." Silence fell again, broken by the occasional noise of Ratchet tweaking a piece or removing some shrapnel from the femme.

* * *

Jazz grinned tiredly at Bluestreak, who hadn't stopped asking questions since he'd come to Jazz's care so Ironhide and Chromia could sleep. Rubbing at his optics with a servo, Jazz lifted the relatively light piece of armor Ratchet had sent him to find.

"What's that for? Where are you going now? Where's creator and carrier?"

"We're goin' ta see 'em now," Jazz replied, hefting the armor up and striding to the med bay with Bluestreak following behind. The youngling had to take two steps for every one of the minibot's. The TIC was almost too tired to deal with the mechling, but he had nowhere else to go. Prowl was too busy with Silvermoon and everybot else was off-base or at evening training.

The doors to the med bay swung open with a swish, admitting Jazz in with his arm-load of metal. Bluestreak was hot on his heel struts, frantically searching for Prowl. Once the mechling had caught sight of the tactician, he squealed and ran over to his adopted-creator. Prowl, for his part, looked extremely deprived of recharge, but he accepted the mechling with open arms.

"Guess what, Prowl? Me and Jazz went to the rec room and had energon and I drank an entire cube by myself! That's great, huh?"

"A whole cube?" Prowl raised an optic ridge. "You are growing up." The SIC glanced up at Ratchet, who had moved closer during Bluestreak's speech. The medibot scanned the mechling and glanced at the results.

"You'll need your adult frame soon," Ratchet frowned, glancing toward his closet, where a dwindling supply of metal plates were. Prowl followed his train of thought and knew why Ratchet was worried.

"I'll go to Iacon and find some more, Ratchet," Prowl said quietly. The chartreuse 'bot looked at him and gave a stiff nod before turning back to his office.

Jazz watched the exchange silently. Then he dropped into a chair that was next to Prowl's. The SIC pulled Bluestreak up onto his lap. "How is she?" Jazz asked quietly.

"Pulling through," Prowl replied, equally quiet. Bluestreak could sense Prowl's distress and nuzzled his faceplates into the tactician's neck cables. Prowl hugged the mechling. Jazz watched them silently. Prowl's faceplates were drawn together from exhaustion, and Jazz detected a hint of anger mixed in. Most of all, the TIC sensed Prowl's longing feeling for his mate. An idea came and lodged itself in Jazz's processor, and once it had made itself known, it wouldn't leave Jazz alone. He fought back a grin and turned to the other two.

"C'mon, Blue. We're gonna go do somethin' for Prowler an' Silvamoo'." Curious, big, blue optics looked up at the TIC, along with narrowed, suspicious ones.

"Nothing dangerous, Jazz," Prowl warned, reluctantly letting Bluestreak out of his grasp.

"Ah kno'. It'll be ah su'p'ise." Then Jazz lead the youngling away from his adopted creators. Out in the hall, Bluestreak got Jazz's attention.

"Why was there something different between those two? Will they be closer? Will they still want me?" There was genuine concern in his young optics. Jazz kneeled before him.

"They'll always love ya, Blue. Don' evah fo'get tha'. An' yeah, they're spahkmates now," Jazz explained. Bluestreak's optic ridges furrowed in confusion.

"What's a sparkmate?" His helm tilted to one side in that cute way only sparklings could pull off.

"Think ah I'onhide an' Chromia," Jazz said, standing back up. The next words from Blue's vocalizer had him throw back his helm with laughter.

"Does that mean they're gonna have a sparkling?"

* * *

Prowl vented and stretched, ready to take another stasis nap. He'd been dozing periodically, but not in a deep stasis. He'd been trying to stay online and keep Silvermoon as comfortable as he could. His optics offlined and his processor activity decreased to the point where he was almost in recharge. Then he got an odd feeling across the bond. It wasn't pain or discomfort, but it felt like she was pulling away from him mentally. Prowl pulled himself back to the land of the living and looked at her. The glance soothed any worries; she was coming back online.

He stood up and moved to the edge of her berth, glancing at the monitors every few nano-kliks. He'd been in here enough times to know what was normal and what wasn't. She seemed fine, but he kept checking to make sure. After a breem, her optics came online. They were fuzzy, indicating she wasn't functioning at a hundred percent, but she was focused on the mech in front of her.

She reached over the bond, and Prowl gave her a gentle nudge with a wave of affection. Then he took her servo and gave a gentle squeeze. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she said, her voice box cracking a little. She cleared her throat and smiled at him. "I'm still tired, though."

"That is to be expected," Prowl replied. Then Ratchet came out of his office. The medibot's optics focused on the femme and he walked over as well.

"Good, you're awake," he said briskly. "I've repaired what I can; you're self-repair systems will do the rest. I've got new chestplate armor here, and once it's attached, you can leave. I suggest you rest, however, and no heavy or strenuous work for an orn."

Silvermoon nodded and Prowl watched her physically brace herself for Ratchet to be messing around with her sore protoform. Prowl sent her a loving feeling over the bond, and she responded in kind, along with a grateful feeling as he blocked some of the pain from her. Ratchet gently pried off the pieces of metal that had been blocking her spark chamber and fitted on the new armor Jazz had brought.

After a breem of fiddling with the pieces and welding, Ratchet stood back and allowed Prowl to help her stand up. She was weak, but stable. "Keep your energon levels above eighty-five percent and get some recharge," Ratchet said, holding the door open for the new couple.

"Thank you, Ratchet," Prowl said, supporting his mate as they walked passed the medic. "I will find some metals for you and have them sent over." Ratchet inclined his helm in thanks and let the door swing shut.

* * *

Megatron paced the throne room irritably, growling to himself as he went. The warlord ignored his cowering lieutenants who seemed to want to bolt, save for Soundwave, who was impassive as ever.

"Where is he?!" Megatron roared, turning to his officers. Thundercracker flinched and Skywarp ducked his helm while covering his audios. Shockwave shrugged. Soundwave took a step forward.

"Lord Megatron: Information. Location: Iacon. Reason: Unknown. Last known transmission: _'I'm en-route. Expect me to arrive in two breems.'_"

The last part of Soundwave's monologue was Starscream's voice played over the boombox's speakers. The silver warlord raised an optic ridge. Iacon, huh? That was where the autobots were located. And it wouldn't surprise him if his second had decided to try and betray him again.

"Decepticons," he said suddenly. "Prepare to move out. We have an autobot base to search for Starscream."

* * *

**A/N: Duh duh duh! Do you think Starscream is actually with the Autobots? *evil laugh***


	33. New Divide

**Author's Note: Thanks to **IronstarGallifrey, LapisLazuliRose, So NtUrAngel, Spirit01, PrinceDiox, **and **The Animal's Keeper **for adding this fic to their alerts and/or favs! The song for this chapter is New Divide by Linkin Park (the lyrics don't fit).**

Bee4ever: **Yep, she's fine! And you're totally right.**

Repenned: **lol. If only... XD**

Kae88: **Yep, and thanks!**

IronhideGallifrey: **I'm assuming you were going to say 'good'? Your review got cut off, but thanks!**

Lina Marie: **Yep, he has a good plan! Poor Prowl, he's freaked out now! lol**

* * *

Prowl supported Silvermoon down the hall, pausing in front of his door. He was about to punch in the code when the door slid open. Prowl looked Jazz in the optic, and the minibot smirked. He used both arms to gesture behind him and said, "Yo'r room, ya two." Being wary of the smirk on Jazz's faceplates, Prowl entered cautiously.

He shouldn't have.

The room was dimly lit by a multitude of candles that were spread around. The shades on the windows were drawn and soft 'mood music' was going. Prowl turned back to thank Jazz, only to lose the opportunity when Jazz waved and hauled Bluestreak back out.

The door closed, shutting them off from the rest of the base. Silvermoon looked him in the optics, and they stared at each other for a nano-klik. With unspoken consent, Prowl lead the way to the berth. After all, they had to make the bond stronger.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Silvermoon looked up from her recent data pad at her small desk. "Come in," she called softly. The door was pushed open to reveal Norika. She had a look on her faceplates that was confusion mixed with sadness. Silvermoon pushed herself out of the chair and strode over to the femme, taking small steps to not increase her energon flow. Following instinct, Silvermoon put an arm around Norika and lead her to the spare chair in the room. The soft yellow 'bot allowed her optics to drift around the room, taking in the slumbering form of Prowl on the berth before focusing on her friend. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know what to do!" Norika said quietly, covering her faceplates with her servos. "Smokescreen and I have been hanging out a lot, and we went out a few times. I know I like him, but I've never really dated enough mechs to know if he's _the one_. But... he's asked me to be his sparkmate and I don't know what to do!" Her last few words were a sob.

Silvermoon allowed a soft smile to grace her features. As much as Smokescreen had complained about chatty femmes and Norika, she had pretty much seen this coming. There was just something between the two that meant a strong relationship. The navy femme slowly walked over to her own chair, missing a step as her spark throbbed suddenly. She waved off Norika's concern. "It's fine. I'm stabilized." She sat and folded her servos, focusing on Norika's problem. "Do you love him?"

Silvermoon's voice was soft, and a thick silence followed. It was pierced by the three sparkbeats, two of which were in sync. Norika's expression softened. "Yeah, I do."

"Then what are you waiting for? If you love each other, then it was meant to be," Silvermoon smiled, knowing how good it felt to have a bond. Then she added, "Besides, you both deserve a good mate."

Norika thought about it, then smiled slowly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just don't know if now is a good time."

Their conversation was interrupted by Prowl suddenly jerking on the berth. His frame was tense, and Silvermoon could see his fists were clenched. She sent a soothing feeling down the bond, knowing he was having a charge fright. The femme traveled down their bond a ways so that she could see his nightmare.

_Prowl stood before Lockdown on the bounty hunter's ship. The unconcious form of Silvermoon was behind the 'con, bound and leaking energon. Prowl growled, ready to pummel the mech for being so foolish. He'd warned him to not mess with his mate once before, so why would Lockdown tempt fate and do it again?_

_His thought was interrupted by a soft white light from behind him. Prowl turned to see Silvermoon standing, whole and happy. "Relax, Prowl," she said in a calm voice. "You know this is not real." The SIC looked to where his mate gestured. Lockdown was frozen, an ugly snarl on his face. The fake form of Silvermoon was slowly losing color, paling as the dream-femme lost her life force and her spark went dark._

"_I am right next to you. Recharge peacefully. I will protect you."_

Silvermoon smiled as her optics came back on. She looked over to her mate, only to find him relaxed once more. Inserting herself into his dream had definitely helped. She turned back to Norika, who was staring at her friend with wide optics. "How...?"

"The bond," Silvermoon replied simply. Norika nodded, understanding. There was still disbelief and a hint of confusion.

"So you are together now? I had heard rumors, but.." Norika trailed off. Silvermoon nodded. "Wow."

"If he hadn't created the bond..." Silvermoon drew a digit across her neck cables. Norika's optics widened. "He saved my life."

An incoming comm. made he HUD ping. She opened it.

**.:Silvermoon, ya should come down to the trainin' rooms. Blue an' I have somethin' ta show ya.:. -Ironhide.**

**.:Really? I'll be there in a klik.:. -Silvermoon**

She dropped the link and let the room swim back into focus. Then it dawned on her. "He's letting my sparkling NEAR WEAPONS?!"

* * *

Ironhide ducked as a round of energon shots from a blaster went off over his head and crashed into the wall, leaving a series of scorch marks. The weapons' specialist looked up at the marks and then back at Bluestreak with wide optics.

"Oops," the mechling said, setting down the blaster that was nearly as big as him.

"Yer supposed ta be hittin' the target, not me," Ironhide chuckled.

"Sorry," Blue replied, glancing at the weapons that were spread out around him. Most of them had been tested- and met with the same result. The few remaining were either too big or 'not his style', as Bluestreak had put it. Then the youngling's optic was drawn to a long gun that had a large pad at the butt and a curious stand. "Ooh, what's that one? I haven't tried it yet? Can I?"

"Go ahead. It's gotta lot of recoil though, so be careful," Ironhide said, showing the youngling how to position himself with the sniper rifle and sight with the scope. Ironhide pointed at a target that was a lot farther out than any of the other targets he had shot at so far. Ironhide could see the disbelief in Bluestreak's optics that the gun would be able to shoot that far, but it was quickly erased when he pulled the trigger.

A loud BANG echoed through the room, throwing Bluestreak back a few inches. "Ow," he exclaimed, rolling his shoulder. But Ironhide ignored the youngling, staring at the small hole in the target that was in the center perfectly.

"Uh, Ironhide? Are you okay?"

The black mech shook his helm as though it was waterlogged and closed his jaw that he hadn't realized was open. "Huh? Yeah, fine." Then the door hissed open, revealing a femme that looked like her energon was about to boil over.

"You're letting my youngling near weapons?" Silvermoon hissed, her frame rigid. Behind her, Ironhide saw Norika peek around the door, clearly trying to see if it was safe to come in.

"I've been monitoring 'im. He hasn't tried anything too dangerous," Ironhide protested, holding up his servos in defense. If all the training sessions with Chromia and Arcee had paid off, the mech didn't want to fight Silvermoon yet.

"Be as it may," Silvermoon said silkily, "you didn't see fit to inform either Prowl or I of this?"

Ironhide's optics widened. Slag. "Uh..." Her optics hardened a little. Norika quietly went over to her friend and put a servo on her shoulder, trying to calm her down a bit. Ironhide opened a private link with the femme.

**.:You do realize how much you sound like Prowl, don't you?:. -Ironhide**

**.:I do?:. -Silvermoon**

He took that as a no.

**.:Sparkbonds do swap some personality traits between 'bots.:. -Ironhide**

He cut the link and looked at her, noting with amusement the startled look on her faceplates. Idly wondering if Prowl would be less tense, Ironhide back to Bluestreak, who had been watching silently the entire time.

"Will you shoot that one again?" Ironhide asked, knowing he finally had some raw talent to work with. That was, if the first shot hadn't just been a lucky one.

Bluestreak complied, lying down and positioning himself like his mentor had showed him before. Pulling the trigger, the youngling was jerked back again, but not as badly. Another small hole appeared next to the first, identical in all but position. Grinning, Ironhide looked at the mechling's adopted carrier for a reaction.

* * *

Silvermoon felt her optics grow wide. Her youngling was shooting a long-distance sniper rifle for the first time and hitting the target dead-on. She looked at the weapons' master in shock and saw him grinning.

"Was he like that with any others?" she was able to ask. Ironhide gestured absentmindedly to the scorch marks above his head.

"Does that answer your question?"

She nodded, looking back at Bluestreak. "He's got a lot of talent. Will you want to train him?"

Ironhide gave another slag-eating grin."Only if it's okay with his carrier."

She rolled her optics. "Smart-aft," she muttered, letting Ironhide hear. He chuckled. Norika walked around the two and knelt before Bluestreak, conversing quietly with him. Silvermoon watched them for a nano-klik, getting an idea. She sent out a quick comm. Letting the room come back into focus, Ironhide struck up a conversation of scheduling times for Bluestreak to be trained in hand-to-hand combat and sniping.

A few kliks later, another figure appeared in the doorway, entering silently. Norika noticed and sent Silvermoon a look. She smirked and made a shooing motion with her servo. The Praxian femme rolled her optics and strode over to Smokescreen. Silvermoon watched them talk for a moment before looking back at Ironhide. The black mech looked slightly confused.

"She wanted relationship advice earlier," the navy femme said quietly, earning an understanding nod from Ironhide. "So I'll drop Bluestreak off tomorrow at-"

She was cut off by a loud squeal. Turning, she saw Norika in Smokescreen's arms being spun around. A happy grin was plastered on both of their faceplates.

"About time, you two!" Silvermoon laughed. She was about to walk over to them when the alarm suddenly went off. Simultaneously, Silvermoon ran over to Bluestreak and picked him up, felt Prowl wake up and sent him a location ping before he could ask, and logged into the officers' comm. line.

**.:Wha's goin' on?:. -Jazz**

**.:'Cons incomming. Too fast for a normal battle prep. Just get your weapons and get outside.:. -Blaster**

**.:Possible reasons for this attack?:. -Prowl**

**.:Unknown as of yet.:. -Optimus Prime**

Silvermoon pulled back out and ran out of the training rooms, her arms wrapped tightly around Bluestreak. Dimly aware of Norika following her with Smokescreen, she lead the way to Prowl's office, where she could feel Prowl at through their sparkbond. The door slid open for her before she even reached, revealing Prowl, who stood aside to let the group in. He left it open for Chromia, who had appeared at the end of the hallway. She was holding Apollo in a similar fashion to Silvermoon.

Once the small group was in, the SIC let the door shut, somewhat quieting the room for the outside commotion. Chromia went over to the berth, where Norika was cuddling Bluestreak. Smokescreen was whispering to her, and moved slightly to allow Chromia next to her friend.

"They'll be safe here," Prowl murmured into Silvermoon's audio. "Let's go." Silvermoon shot another glance at Bluestreak, who cocked his head to one side cutely. She gave him a small smile and followed Prowl out of the room. Smokescreen came out after them, and Prowl locked the door.

* * *

Prowl stood slightly behind Optimus, his arm wrapped tightly around Silvermoon's waist. Kup, Ultra Magnus, Perceptor, Jazz, Ironhide, and Smokescreen were all next to them, with the rest of the assembled troops a ways behind. A few stragglers were still coming out and prepping their blasters.

Megatron transformed and landed on the ground with a ground-shattering tremble at the contact. Soundwave landed in a similar fashion, with the rest of the 'cons missing. It was only the two of them. Megatron straightened up and swept his gaze over the 'bots in front of him, his evil red optics seemingly piercing into every one of them. Then his gaze landed on Optimus.

"Surrender Starscream now, if you want to avoid shedding energon," he sneered.

"Starscream is not here," Optimus answered carefully. "We have not seen him since the last battle."

_Well, except at the Guardian Falls, _Prowl thought, but didn't dare speak aloud. Megatron sent a sideways glance at Soundwave, who was standing next to the warlord.

"Prime: Correct. Starscream: Signature not located here," Soundwave rumbled impassively.

"Is that so?" the former gladiator spoke, almost angrily. "If you happen to pass him, you had better warn him to not cross paths with me again, or he will be missing his helm." There was a hint of something to his words that made Prowl fight the urge to shiver. There was no doubt that Megatron would offline Starscream if the 'con SIC showed up.

Then Megatron and Starscream lifted up and took off. Prowl didn't relax until they had faded on the horizen.

* * *

**A/N: Anyone think they know where Screamer is?**


	34. What About Now

**Author's Note: Song is What About Now by Daughtry. Thanks to **Jaquiele, I Love Oc's, **and **Nighthawk22 **for adding this fic to their favs and/or alerts!**

Kae88: **Lol. No, I'm afraid he's not there anymore.**

Lina Marie: **Good guess. But no, he'll be there next chapter. Lol.**

* * *

Silvermoon sat at her desk in Prowl's office. Her optics trailed over the data pad, not taking in anything that she read. For some reason, she was out of it this morning. Prowl was sitting in his chair across from her, silently engrossed in his own data. Her optics trailed over his form as her thoughts raced a hundred miles an hour. She didn't stay focused on anything for more than a few nano-kliks.

Absentmindedly, she reached up to rub her chestplates, knowing her spark was hurting a bit, but not paying it much thought. Suddenly, it throbbed, making her drop the data. It hit the desk with a light thunk. Prowl looked up, only to see his mate clutching her chestplates with an agonized look on her faceplates. Another wave of pain washed through her and the bond, making him stand up abruptly and rush to her side.

"What's wrong?" he murmured, taking her servo. He pulled her chair out a bit, giving her some space.

"I dunno," she mumbled, convulsing again. Her servo clutched between her breastplates, giving Prowl an idea. He gently moved her servos aside and released the manual clasps to her chestplates, getting himself into her spark chamber. He peered inside and froze, optic twitching a bit before glitching.

Silvermoon let her plates slid back together, lightly getting to her pedes to haul Prowl to the berth. She had to stop and comm. Ratchet while pushing against her chest in pain. She managed to drag him over and lift him up, but then stopped for another convulsion. Letting out a short cry, Silvermoon sank to her knees, one servo holding herself up on the berth while the other frantically scraped at her chest, trying to lessen the pain in any way possible.

Ratchet shoved the door open and practically ran in the next moment. He knelt before the femme, who had pain written throughout her optics. Silvermoon allowed the medibot to push her down so she was on the floor. He had easily access her spark chamber in that position. He deftly flicked it open and searched for the problem.

Silvermoon offlined her optics and bit down on her lip plate to keep from shrieking every time Ratchet brushed against a sensitive wire. She could feel him tweak a piece here and there, and her pain suddenly vanished.

"Well," he said, backing out and closing her chestplates. "Looks like we're going to have another sparkling running around here soon."

Silvermoon's optics widened. "I'm SPARKED?!" she shrieked, feeling like joining her mate in glitching.

Ratchet nodded, wincing at her high pitch. "The newspark was nestled up against a wire in an awkward position, which was what was causing you the pain." He stood up and offered her a servo, pulling her back up on her pedes. Now that she knew what she was feeling, Silvermoon could detect the small life pulsing alongside her own spark, slowly drawing off her energy reserves.

"Now what?" she asked faintly.

"Gets lots of recharge, keep your energon levels above seventy-five percent, and don't stress yourself," Ratchet shrugged, as though it were obvious. "Oh, and stay close to Prowl later on. You will have heightened protective actions, which are natural, but it never hurts to have too much protection."

Silvermoon nodded absently and was aware of Ratchet scanning her. "I'm fine," she said.

"Alright. Call me if anything feels out of the ordinary." He made his way over to the door.

"Oh, and Ratchet? Could we keep this between us for a while?" Silvermoon inquired.

"Prime has to know. Beyond that, I won't tell anybot."

"Thanks." The door slid closed just as Prowl came back online. He sat up wearily and his optics connected to hers.

"Are you actually...?" he asked weakly.

"Sparked? Yes," she mumbled. Prowl fell back down with a groan, clutching his helm. He was fighting to stay online and not glitch again. Half a klik passed and he sat up, gesturing for her to crawl onto the berth with him. Silvermoon complied, leaning in when Prowl wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't worry," Prowl whispered, trying to comfort himself and his mate. "Nothing will happen to the newspark..."

* * *

Silvermoon suppressed the urge to rub at her chestplates again. The newspark wasn't aching, but it was weird to her to think about a second life force sitting next to her own. She turned the corner and entered the rec room, squinting a bit at the bright lights and loud noise. Jazz was throwing _another_ party. This was the second one in the orn, and she was getting tired of having to put up with overcharged mechs. Last time she'd had Prowl next to her. But she wasn't too concerned. She just hoped her wiring didn't suddenly turn overprotective of the newspark...

Squeezing between Bumblebee and Perceptor, she spotted Blaster at a DJ station on one wall. Disco balls were positioned on either side of the station, projecting colorful lights around the room. A nice beat was pulsing from the oversize speakers. Chatter filled the room and high grade was passed around freely. Silvermoon went to the energon dispensers, searching for some middle grade to fill her tanks before they plummeted from the dual outputs.

Her optics narrowed when she spotted the entire table covered in nothing but high grade. _Slag you, Jazz._ The next astrosecond, the mech popped up at her shoulder out of nowhere. Primus had a sick sense of humor. She could detect a hint of high grade on the TIC, but he wasn't overcharged enough to be dangerous.

"'Ey, Silvamoo'. Glad ya could come. Grabe a cube o' high grade an' follah meh!"

"I'd better not," she declined, turning away from the table and starting to walk away. Then Jazz grabbed her arm and pulled her so she faced him again.

"Why not? It's ah partah! Lighten up!" Jazz frowned. She mirrored his frown. He was being persistent, and she needed to refuel soon. Without saying anything, she turned and slipped away, using her smaller size to her advantage. She could hear him calling her designation, but the femme weaved between 'bots and fairly dove out the door to get away. Taking off down the hall, she set a brisk pace for the med bay. Ratchet always kept a stock of energon. And he wasn't as annoying as Jazz.

Inside, Silvermoon had to duck to avoid a wrench that went flying over her helm. If anything, that seemed to make Ratchet angrier. "TWINS!" he roared, making the femme unconsciously flinch.

She saw an overcharged Sideswipe smirk as he stalked toward the medibot. Sunstreaker was already offline and in a heap on one berth, with a fair-sized dent in his helm.

"But Ratchet," Sideswipe whined. "Why not? You'd have a great time, I know you would!" In response, a wrench hit him right between the optics, making him fall offline immediately. Silvermoon winced in sympathy. The medic drug the red mech over to his twin and dropped him on top of Sunstreaker, ignoring his precious paint. Then Ratchet turned so fast Silvermoon thought he was going to dislocate something.

His expression softened when it fell on her, seemingly trying to force out the anger held in his frame. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just need some energon. The only thing in the rec room is high grade," she responded quietly, piecing together Sideswipe's words. "Was he hitting on you?" Ratchet's scowl returned.

"Unfortunately. This isn't the first time," Ratchet growled. Silvermoon forced back a chuckle.

"Not the first time? What do you do to him afterward?" she asked, half intrigued, half horrified. Ratchet shrugged.

"He wakes up, doesn't remember, and leaves. Sunstreaker is a lot more forcing, so I usually knock him out first and then deal with his twin." As Ratchet talked, he opened a cupboard and pulled out a few cubes of medical low grade. Silvermoon accepted them gratefully and proceeded to down one slowly. She could feel Prowl looking for her through the bond, and she mentally told him that she was with Ratchet.

It drew a worried feeling form the SIC, but she soothed him and turned to Ratchet. "I'd better go. Thanks for the energon."

Ratchet nodded absently, returning to his office. Silvermoon left, only to run into Jazz in the hallway. She nearly fell, but he caught her. For being so overcharged, he was still pretty stable. She spotted another cube of high grade in his servo, and it was nearly empty.

"Why'd ya run off like tha'?" he questioned, a frown marring his faceplates. Silvermoon really didn't want to deal with an overcharged, TIC, seeing as he was normally had to deal with when sober. She sent Prowl an anxious thought for some backup and felt him speed up a bit.

"No reason," she responded vaguely. Jazz downed the rest of his cube and dropped it, placing his servos on both of her shoulders.

"Ya need ta talk ta meh. We're friends, aren't weh?" He looked her in the optics, a serious look mingling with his overcharged one. She pulled back uncomfortably, smelling the high grade on his vents of air.

"Yeah..." she trailed off, not knowing how to respond. He was weird when he was overcharged.

"Then tal'. Wassup?"

Then the sound of pedefalls hit her audios. Venting in relief, Silvermoon yanked herself out of Jazz's grip and went up to Prowl. He looked confused, but wrapped his mate in a comforting hug.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly. Jazz's voice made him look up.

"Prowler. Ah was jus' havin' a convahsation wit' 'er." Prowl could smell the high grade on him, and it made the SIC want to slap the saboteur.

"Good. But we have somewhere else to be right now." He lead Silvermoon away from the overcharged mech, drawing a relieved sigh from his mate.

"Thanks," she sighed, suddenly becoming tired.

"No problem. Why don't you go take a stasis nap? I'll finish the datas," he offered.

"Sounds good to me," she replied, stifling a yawn.

* * *

Starscream yelped, the pressure on his mind becoming harder and more painful. "I won't do it," he ground out, falling back to the floor with another pained yell.

"Starscream," sighed a femme voice. "You should no by now that resistance will get you no where. Just listen to me and we can both be happier."

"Never!" he snapped, pride winning out.

"Fine, have it your way!" Her voice held anger in it, losing the persuasive tone. There was the sound of tapping on keys, and Starscream gave his loudest yell yet. Convulsing, he lost the ability to move. He could feel her invading his consciousness will that wretched machine of Shockwave's, messing with his motor controls. Something seemed to click in his processor, and he lost all control over his frame.

It began to transform without his permission, and he couldn't even form a coherent word. His thrusters engaged at full throttle and he tore out of the cave, heading for wherever the femme told him to. Back in the cave, Arachnid stared at the screen that allowed her to see everything from Starscream's perspective. Grinning evilly, she made him set a course for the coordinates she'd taken from his mind.

* * *

**A/N: So now Arachnid is in on the action. Anyone think they know her plan?**


End file.
